Key points
- You can look at how different schools might suit children’s personalities, strengths, needs, and interests.
- Your choice might also be shaped by personal values, practical considerations, school-specific factors, academic results, and more.
If you’re looking beyond the public secondary school, it helps to think about what’s important to you and your child.
To do this you can look at which schools might best suit your child’s personality, strengths, needs, and interests. You can also consider how different schools:
- match your personal values and preferences
- meet your family’s practical needs
- compare factors like size, classes, facilities and so on
- support children’s academic development
- communicate and build relationships with families.
The questions below can help.
Personal values and preferences
This is about looking at the fit between your family’s values and the school’s culture:
- Do you prefer public or private education? Are the facilities or subject choices a consideration?
- How does the culture of the school match your family’s values – for example, uniform policy, attendance, emphasis on academic achievement, compulsory weekend sports, and so on?
- Do you want your child to attend the same school that you attended or have a different experience?
- opportunities provided by the school, career aspirations, motivations, and so on.
Practical considerations
- How do things like the location of the school, cost, or difficulty of driving to and from the school affect you?
- Are the school fees and other costs affordable?
- Are there any scholarship programs, and is your child eligible?
- Does the school require students to have devices like iPads or laptops?
- If you have other children, is it important that all your children go to the same school?
- Where are your child’s friends and classmates going to secondary school?
School factors: size, classes, facilities
It can help to compare different schools’ sizes, class arrangements, facilities, extracurricular activities, and so on:
- Is the school small or large? What size is likely to suit your child best?
- What facilities does the school have to support your child’s learning and development – for example, a library, outdoor spaces, music programs, clubs, and sporting teams?
- What extracurricular activities – sport, art, music, drama and so on – does the school offer? What are the time and costs associated with these?
- Does the school offer extra support if it’s needed – for example, English as a second language (ESL) classes, literacy and numeracy support programs, and support for children with additional needs?
Academic results and requirements
A school’s academic record is one of the factors that can influence how well your child will do at secondary school. If you want to investigate a school’s academic record, these questions can help:
- Has the school improved its academic results over the past few years? What about its results in other areas like the arts, sport, or community engagement?
- What are the school’s admission procedures and entrance requirements?
- What study paths are available at different schools?
- What languages and elective subjects does the school offer? How many subjects are available in the senior years?
- Does the school offer extension or accelerated learning programs? If so, what are the selection criteria?
- Is a selective entry school an option for your child?
School communication and connections
Good parent-school relationships can help your child get the most out of their education:
- What opportunities are there for parent and family involvement with the school?
- How is communication between home and school managed?
- How is the school connected with the local community?
