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David Gold, spokesman for Brighton College, where fees rise to more than £8,500 a term for boarders, says the success of independent schools often depended on the quality of local schools.
‘We are in an area which operates a lottery system for entry to state secondaries and a lot of our parents have chosen not to get involved in that,’ he says. ‘Often they are first-time buyers into private education.
‘Parents usually don’t look for one thing, but the all-round picture. They obviously want good exam results, but they also want clubs and activities that offer a variety of experiences, from juggling to ballroom dancing.
‘We offer good guidance as a preparation for life and our students leave for university mature and able to cope in the outside world. That pastoral and cultural input is very important. Our students are aware that they have responsibilities to society through community programmes, such as working with disaffected children or in a women’s refuge.’
Pastoral and personal wellbeing is crucial to parents, not least in boarding schools where they entrust not only their children’s academic achievements, but also their general upbringing, to the school staff.
Nigel MacKay, head of £18,000-a-year Hanford School in Dorset, a boarding school for girls aged 8-13, says it is important to parents that their children should feel at home.
‘Schools like ours offer a homely environment, with excellent relationships between staff, matrons and girls,’ he says. ‘Children can be children here, and are given the time to be so. This is immensely reassuring to parents, who want their children to feel secure but also to have the experiences we can offer.’
Weekly boarding is an increasingly popular option where children stay at the school all week and return home every weekend. It is often said to offer the best of both worlds. During the week pupils can take advantage of the facilities to indulge their pastimes and crunch through homework so that weekends can be homework-free to enjoy with their families.
Occasionally, stories emerge of expulsions from boarding schools because of drug-taking and drunkenness but, in the main, private schools are well-ordered, disciplined places. Some schools employ, with the consent of parents, random drugs testing to provide extra peace of mind.
Recently, boarding schools were warned in a government report to review their policies on mobile phone and internet use to prevent bullying and abuse. The report, by Sir Roger Singleton, chairman of the Independent Safeguarding Authority, which was set up to vet people working with all children, urged independent schools to ensure their students were not being preyed upon and introduce new rules and policies to underline this.
The Independent Schools Inspectorate inspects the vast majority of independent schools. It places great emphasis on safeguarding the wellbeing of children in its assessments of schools. A new set of inspection rules comes into force from September which will, for the first time, make the views of pupils a compulsory part of inspection and provide opportunities for staff to give their views. The new inspection regime, which will focus much more on what goes on in the classroom, has been warmly welcomed by parents. Be sure to check out the school’s ISI report (www.isi.net) before your visit so that you have an idea of the right areas that need to be explored for reassurance.
In the current economic climate many parents will, of course, be thinking twice about investing in private schooling, while a small number of schools have already closed down, unable to cope with the recession and a fall in pupil numbers.
The most obvious tell- tale sign that a school is struggling to stay afloat is the state of the buildings, with poor maintenance usually suggesting that all is not well.
‘Parents are perfectly within their rights to ask about the number of staff redundancies in recent years; pupil-teacher ratios; and any fluctuations in the school roll to establish the financial health of the school,’ David Gold adds. ‘They can also check the school’s accounts at Companies House.
‘They should not be afraid of asking questions. A school with nothing to hide will be happy to answer them.’
For more information about independent schools, and to find out about open days at schools near you, go to: http://www.isc.co.uk.
Top ten questions to ask a head
• What is your pupil-teacher ratio?
• What has been the staff turnover in the past five years?
• How much do you spend every year on keeping facilities up to date?
• What pastoral care is in place to ensure my child is happy and well looked after?
• What rules and policies are in place for combating bullying?
• What extra-curricular activities do you offer?
• Which examinations do students take at 16 and 18?
• How do your pupils’ academic achievements compare with those attending similar schools?
• Can I speak to some pupils without any staff being present?
• Where do your pupils go when they leave?
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