How to Tell if a School Is Right for Your Child: What to Look For When You Visit

This blog has been guest-written by Dover Court International School, Singapore.

Dover Court is a Nord Anglia international school in Singapore, teaching children from ages 3 to 18 on a 12-acre campus. Its early childhood programme, NEST (Nurturing Early Success Together), runs from Nursery to Year 2 and blends the English National Curriculum with the International Primary Curriculum through a Reggio Emilia-inspired, play-based approach. For the wider picture, read our guide to play-based learning in Singapore: what the research says and what to look for.

Choosing the first ever school for a child is one of the hardest decisions a family makes. And one that often starts very early - sometimes even before they are even born. While there are plenty of considerations to make around which approach might suit them and your family best (Montessori? Reggio Emilia? Forest school?). What most parents want to know is simpler than any prospectus: will my child be happy here, and how would I know?

Some of that you can only judge in person, by visiting a school during an open day, and if you can, watching a class and asking the right questions to teachers and staff. Some of it might come later, once school has already started.

We asked one of Dover Court’s Primary teachers, Matthew Joyes, the questions parents ask him the most. Here's what he told us, and what he'd look for on a visit.

 

How will a good school keep you informed about your child?

Once your child starts, you'll want to know what their days look like and how they're getting on. A school that communicates well won't wait for a problem to get in touch.

Look for regular updates from the class teacher about what the children have been learning, so you can see the week through your child's eyes and pick up the thread at home. Parent-teacher conferences give you time to sit down with the teacher and talk properly. Written reports should go further than grades, setting out where your child is thriving, where they're still growing, and who they are as a person.

When you visit a school, ask how often you'll hear from teachers and what those updates cover. The answer tells you how much the school wants you involved.

What should you look for when you watch a lesson?

Many schools will let you see a class in action, or run taster sessions where you can watch how teaching works day to day. Take them up on it.

The first thing to notice is the energy in the room. In a good classroom there's talking and movement, children working things out together and asking questions. The teacher isn't stuck at the front delivering a script: they're moving around the room, following what the children are curious about and nudging it forward. In a play-based setting especially, learning looks active. Children are doing, building and testing ideas, and the adults are mostly there to guide it.

What questions should you ask about what the school really values?

A good question to start with is what does a normal school day look like for a child here? You'll learn a lot from how someone answers.

Ask what learning looks like across the day and how the school measures academic success. Then push a little wider and ask what the school celebrates outside the classroom, because what a school chooses to praise tells you what it cares about most.

A school that only celebrates test results has a completely different approach from one that also makes a fuss of kindness, effort and confidence.

Questions worth asking on a school visit

If you take nothing else with you, take these:

1. How often will I hear from my child's teacher, and what will those updates cover?
2. What does a normal school day look like for a child in this year group?
3. What does learning look like across the day, and how do you know a child is doing well?
4. What do you celebrate outside the classroom?
5. Can I watch a lesson or come to a taster session before we decide?
   
   

Once school starts, what does a happy, settled child look like?

You'll often know - or at least have a sense of - whether your child has settled before any report tells you: it shows up at home.

A settled child wants to go to school in the morning. They're curious about what they're learning and come home ready to talk about it: the thing they made, something their teacher said, the friend they sat next to at lunch. When a child starts sharing the small details of their day without being asked, that's a good sign they feel safe and happy where they are.

If your child is a little quiet or reluctant for a while after starting somewhere new, that's normal too. Settling takes time. What you're looking for is the direction of travel over a few weeks.

The best way to judge a school is to see it for yourself

No website or brochure can answer these questions for you. Visit, watch a lesson if you can and ask lots of questions: teachers really want to help. And after that, trust what you see and how your child responds to it.

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