It’s with primary schooling that children acquire the basic skills, values and everything else that stays with them for rest of their lives. Getting into the right primary school means that a child would receive the necessary attention from qualified and experienced teachers, be confident of achieving tiny goals with each passing day and most importantly, develop into a teen full of dreams and the zeal to achieve them.
A decision about where your kid will go to school is very personal, and can be highly difficult too! MOE Singapore, for example, created this short but interesting video on how to go about it.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGS1QGwsaxA]
Where most parents find it highly pressurizing to get this decision right, for some, it is a simple chore, especially if there’s a good public school in the locality. Parents who need to look for good schools away from their locality are always anxious. Still, your selection of a good school will always depend upon a variety of factors.
Important factors for all parents to keep in mind while choosing a primary school for their kids:
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Distance from Home
The distance of the school from your home will be the first factor to consider. Finding a primary school at a short distance has so many advantages, including negligible traveling time, reduced transport costs and above all, enough time left for primary school tuition.
This will also help you get extra time to play games, perform other activities, and develop a healthy relationship with your kid.
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Your Kid’s Interests
Another important aspect is to consider your kid’s overall interests that can be related to a variety of fields. This may include sports, music, art and technology. Find out whether the school you are going to select allows or offers these activities or not. If not, search for a school that keeps organizing co-curricular activities matching your child’s interests.
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Mother-tongue Language
It remains equally important to find out which options the school is offering when it comes to mother tongue languages. For example, if Chinese is one of your preferences, you’ll find it as an option in almost every school. So, whichever mother tongue language options you want, confirm with the management if they are available.
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School Culture
All schools have different cultures and teaching and learning philosophies. Where some will follow a particular religion, others will promote individuality. Some may give more weightage to artistic pursuits and some will have a tough sports ethic! So, you should know what is important to your kids and what can help them have harmonious development. Today, however, most schools understand that only kids with a balanced academic and co-curricular (particularly sports!) approach can be successful in life!
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Affiliation and Reputation
Most primary schools, especially those associated with particular religions or clans, have affiliation to certain secondary schools. Once your kids get admission in such a primary school, it will be easier for them to admit to the affiliating secondary school in future. However, it will be essential to meet the admission criteria set by the school.