Decisive Factors parents should keep in mind during the admission season.

School Admissions are something that don't decide the course of just the child's life. They significantly impact the parents' lives as well. After all, both are embarking on a 14 year long journey. Research indicates that a good school choice has a significant impact on a child’s learning outcomes into their adult lives. Over 10 Lac parents seek admission for Nursery across Delhi NCR every year. They also go through a similar journey fraught with unanswered questions, anxiety, and frustration which is reasonable due to lack of proper guidance in the public discourse. Parents even seek advice from their families, friends, acquaintances and relatives and even check the prospectus of various schools but are always left with a niggling fear that their efforts may not be enough. This fear, however is reasonable as school is essentially an important part of a child’s life to develop the overall personality and independent thinking. The learning of different subjects at school helps to gain knowledge and acquaints the child with different cultures and traditions. Typically, infrastructure , ranking , academic record and location form the essential criteria for deciding which school is suitable for your child . However , this is not enough. 

Here are seven questions that you must ask, to understand if your child’s school is the right fit for you and him or her-: 

1. Does the school’s Learning Environment/ Ecosystem complement your vision of the way your child should learn? 

The environment that the school provides is imperative for your child's learning process. Here are a few questions that you should ask when considering the learning environment:

• Does the school put unnecessary pressure on the child to perform or encourage the desire to excel?
• Does the school recognize and cater to each child’s learning curve or does it conduct classes at the same level or pace for every child? 
• Do children in the school enjoy their classes or does it seems to be a hard duty for them?
• And most importantly, does the school’s learning philosophy complement your view of life? 

2. Is the school transparent about and able to explain its teaching and learning practices?

Project-based learning, experiential learning, holistic development, digital learning, smart classes are a few of the phrases that most schools will throw at you. However, the fundamental question is if the school truly practices what it preaches. Ask the school authorities and representatives about their teaching and learning practices;

• what kind of approaches and methods do they use, how is project work incorporated in and across disciplines, how are digital learning and smart classes integrated into the classroom? 
• Do they offer it as standalone classes, or is it integrated into the subjects that are taught and the problems that they are solving?
• To understand and confirm the methodologies followed, ask the the same questions to the parents of the children already studying in the school . 

3. Are the teachers sufficiently trained to take care of your child? 

This is something that most schools don’t talk about or publish on their website. Ask school representatives about the professional development of their teachers. They should be able to tell you the mandatory hours of professional development their teachers go through as teachers are the ones who translate the vision and philosophy of the school into the reality on-ground. 

4. Do the school’s culture and values resonate with yours?

• Your child’s school will play an indelible role in inculcating a strong value system in your child. The best way to assess this is by talking to existing parents and students of the school.
• Try to understand if the school is invested in social-emotional learning and the kind of behavioural norms they set with their parents and students. Existing parents would be able to tell you if the school’s interaction with them extends beyond exams, results, and financials.
• Ask questions around the school’s stand on bullying, screen time, birthday celebrations, and parent involvement in community initiatives. Find out if the school teaches its children the values that you would like to build in your child.

5. How does the school use its infrastructure, however fabulous it may be to enhance your child’s learning?

The physical environment is the Third Teacher and it is true. Most parents tend to look at infrastructure in terms of the types of facilities provided such as playfields, swimming pools, classrooms, music rooms, art studios, etc. However, when evaluating the infrastructure there are certain facilities that the school must be able to provide:

• Indoor Treated Fresh Air-:  On average, your child will be spending at least 5 hours a day surrounded by 30-35 children in a closed room and must remain safe from harmful pollutants. Check whether proper air cleansing units are installed or not . 
• Optimal use of facilities -:  While a school may boast of various facilities such as a football field, swimming pool, etc., its curriculum needs to be structured in a manner that your child can use these facilities meaningfully. Instead of looking for facilities ask the school about its sports, arts and music programmes and this will give you a better answer to the use of these facilities
• Space Design -: The design of a school is critical to the learning environment. The way space is designed should facilitate the learning, well-being, and freedom of your child. Spaces should be designed in a way that they don’t overwhelm your child’s senses
• Safety Check for for the basic safety features of the school like-: 

1. The school should be well-lit with no dark corners or closed rooms that have no visibility or can be locked from the inside
2. Guards/supervisors at the corridors with constant vigil through all areas 
3. Regular training of guards and support staff on POCSO and handling of children along with yearly refreshers 

Selecting the best school is not easy and can be an emotionally stressful experience for your child, hence remember that at the end of the day, you are the parent and you know your child best. Choose a school where your child will be happy, free, and grow up with the skills and capabilities needed for the future. 

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