A Guide to Sourcing the Best School for your Child

Selecting a school for your child is one of the most important decisions you will make regarding your child’s future and you need to carry out some exhaustive research into potential schools in order to find the most suitable. If you happen to live in Thailand or another non-English speaking country, then there is the question of English language proficiency, which can seriously limit your child’s career options and you need to introduce English as soon as possible.

K-12 Education

If you choose a school such as Niva American International School, your child can enrol in the kindergarten section and move into the primary level for 6 years and after that, study in the middle and high school departments. This means your son or daughter does not have to go through the ordeal of changing schools, allowing them to develop deep relationships with teachers and other students and their progress will not be hindered by switching schools, which can be very traumatic for a child.

Aspects to Look For in a School

Of course, every school will advertise themselves as being one of the best and for a parent, it can seem like an uphill battle to evaluate and compare various schools within driving distance from your home. Every school has a vision and mission statement that clearly defines their beliefs about education and the methodology that they use to deliver the curriculum. Take the time to read these carefully and you will have a better understanding of what the school is all about and when you book a tour with the school principal, prepare a list of questions to ask.

Important Aspects

• Multi-cultural learning environment.
• US National Curriculum.
• US teachers
• Active learning strategies.
• English as the language of instruction.
• Academic Excellence.

Touring the School

After some Internet research, you should have a list of 5-10 schools that are withing reach of our home and a further session of research should lead to one school that stands out from the others. As you would expect, schools do not appreciate a surprise visit from a new parent, so you do have to book an appointment via their website. Take note of the learning environment, where there should be a lot of student work on show and ask to sit in on a class, which gives you the opportunity to see how the kids like the activities.

Prepare questions in advance and the school principal will no doubt have questions if their own and then you can make an informed decision.