Michelle Green, Chief Executive of Independent Schools Victoria runs through the factors to consider when choosing the best school for your child.
It’s a question many parents agonise over: where should I send my child to school?
Often there’s no immediate answer, because one question leads to others. What do I want for my child? Co-ed or single sex? A focus on drama or sport or academic achievement? Do I want my child to be educated within a particular religious framework or educational philosophy? And there are practical issues: What are the transport options? Is the school in a convenient location? Parents might consider all of these factors as they deal with an issue that boils down to another essential question: What school best meets the needs of my child?
Independent schools provide a choice for parents as they consider all of these questions. There are more than 200 Independent schools in Victoria, operating outside of the systems run by the State Government and the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria. They are autonomous yet accountable.
These Independent schools are widely diverse. Two-thirds are in Melbourne and a third in regional Victoria, enrolling more than 132,00 students. They range in size from schools with more than 3,000 students on multiple campuses, to, in some instances, fewer than 30 students.
They follow a wide range of approaches to education, with more than 20 religious, non-religious and philosophical affiliations.
Parents clearly appreciate the choice these schools provide, with enrolments at Independent schools growing by 37 per cent in the past 16 years. Much of that growth has been among low-fee schools.
Independent Schools Victoria (ISV) is a service organisation advocating for excellence in education and championing our member schools. We seek to raise education standards and protect the right of parents to choose where and how children are educated.
We have a good idea of what parents take into account when deciding what’s the right school for their child.
We have surveyed 9,183 parents over the past four years, asking them why they chose a particular school. The most common reason was the school’s emphasis on the development of sound morals, values, beliefs and attitudes. The next most cited answer was that the school best suited their child’s needs.
Other common reasons include the school’s reputation, its educational philosophy and the quality of its educational programs.
Within those broad responses, parents are making decisions about unique individuals. They are considering their child’s character, personality, interests and aspirations. Because they are independent, our member schools are able to provide choices that match the needs of individuals.
In assessing which school best meets the needs of your child, you need to do some research. You’ll want to talk to other parents and study school websites where you’ll find details of their approaches to education, their structure, curriculum and enrolment processes. You should visit schools and talk to staff and students. Sometimes decisions can been made on intangible factors, like the “feel’ of the school.
To help parents on the search, ISV lists details of its member schools on its website. You can start your search by going to www.is.vic.edu.au and look for Find a School under Who We are.
