20 factors to look out for when choosing a school: Finding a good school for yourself or your children can be very challenging. The need for a new school arises as a result of many factors which could be a result of relocating, poor teaching style, exploring educational opportunities, physical and emotional safety, security, proximity, etc.
Moreover, the need for studying in a well-equipped school with great educational standards and environment cannot be overemphasized. This is because it contributes effectively to the brilliance and excellence of a student. Passbuttons lists quality schools to enable students and parents to make the right decision. We have thousands of schools and we recommend quality schools. Quality of education is the first thing that comes to the mind of every parent. Every parent or guardian desires the best education for their children, especially after spending so much on tuition and other requirements.
Over the years, we have helped our members locate great schools and this article is designed to help you with the metrics. Moreover, we also offer admission and scholarship services.
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Previously, we discussed the best strategies to prevent bullying in school, the Latest 10 skills needed to apply for an international scholarship, back-to-school tips and strategies, and the best summer programmes for high school students. However, this article will discuss in detail the 20 factors to look out for when choosing a school and every other thing in between. Stay tuned.
20 factors to look out for when choosing a school
Have you been looking for factors to consider when deciding on a school to study, or to enrol your ward in, panic no more! We have carefully selected the 20 most important factors to consider while choosing a school to study or for your child. They include the following;
- Academic standard
- Curriculum
- Teachers and staff
- Location
- Security
- School fees
- Values
- School activities
- Facilities
- Available programmes
- Parents involvement
- Overall school quality
- Campus life
- Academics
- School communications and connections
- Cost
- Education Board
- School culture
- School leadership
- Extracurricular activities
Academic Standard
The long-standing question is how can the academic standard of a school be measured. Is it by the students’ result, performance or by the school’s effectiveness in the discharge of their services while following specific rules and regulations guiding the school? Both sides of the answers are relative. Let us know your response via the comment box.
In the meantime, it is also important to note that the overall academic performance of the school and its students speaks volumes about the standard and reliability of the school. For example, a high cut-off mark for admission into a school that is maintained over some time. The result of their students in external examinations and the performance of their students after school.
Moreover, quality teachers, facilities, and strict adherence to rules and regulations are some factors that can improve the academic standard of a school. Therefore, carefully consider the all-round standard of the school to ensure you or your ward is getting the best education.
Curriculum
An academic curriculum is a breakdown of all student’s programmes or experiences throughout the context of their study. Usually, it is a sequence of activities, materials, processes, resources, and instructional content prepared for effective learning of the students.
A clear look at the school’s curriculum of activity will give you an insight into what the school can offer.
Academic (teachers) and non-academic staff
The quality of teachers that a school has is one of the major determining factors that showcase the standard of a school. Moreover, the need for competent teachers cannot be over-emphasized. This is because they have a huge role to play in the developmental process of the students, especially in academics and character. Interestingly, their roles are to educate and invest in the students, knowledge, virtue, and competence through teaching.
Professional teachers are most suitable for any school that must thrive in these present times. Connect with quality tutors now.
Location
The location of a school is one of the 20 factors to look out for when choosing a school. It influences the choice of school for study. Moreover, the distance from home to school must be considered to avoid inconveniences and reduce costs. Furthermore, it goes a long way to link security factors. For instance, the safety of the female gender on their way home.
Therefore, proper consideration has to be carried out to ensure you choose the best school you can.
Security
Safety is one unique factor that cannot be overlooked in the context of choosing a school. No parents would want to endanger the lives of their wards. Therefore, kindly consider the security standard of the school in areas such as good fencing, CCTV, security personnel, an attendance notification system that notifies both parents and school admins about happenings in the school, and so on. Moreover, you might want to reconsider choosing a place with floods or terrorism issues. This is to ensure a conducive learning environment.
School fees
Most parents and guardians consider tuition fees first before every other consideration. This is due to the challenging economic situations currently faced by parents and guardians. It’s a widely known fact that most high-standard schools are quite expensive. However, there are still good schools that are cost-effective and can produce the best out of the students.
It’s quite pertinent to choose schools based on your financial strength This is to avoid the embarrassment of students dropping out of school.
Values
The proper study of the core values, duties and obligations of the school is of great importance. This will enable you to know what you are to expect from the school as well as their manner of doing things. Every good school should uphold modest morals such as respect, responsibility, honesty, integrity, fairness, care, creativity, cooperation, and so on.
The effectiveness of these values would be seen in the characters that students display. Meanwhile, you may consider choosing a school that prioritizes modest values.
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School activities
There are school activities that students engage in that further train them to acquire skills that can make them world champions. Consider choosing schools that engage students to participate in competitions and leagues. These categories of schools can equip themselves with befitting facilities to enable them to achieve their aim. Some examples of school activities that students can participate in include:
- Debate
- Book clubs
- Games
- Press clubs
- Story-writing.. Join Passbuttons writing community.
- Music
- Dance
- Arts and crafts
- See the steps to organize a classroom party
Facilities
A well-equipped school has a greater chance of enrolling a greater number of new students. This is because, parents want a school that will give their wards the best, both classroom and extracurricular activities. Some examples of these facilities are:
- Library
- Football field
- ICT labs
- Science labs
- Basketball court
- Arts, music and drama room
- Medicare
- Food science and tech lab
- Vocational training center
- Conducive learning environment
- etc.
Available programmes
Programmes and specializations are of great concern to consider when choosing a school. Mostly, this applies to the choice of a tertiary institution, where you must consider if the school offers the programme you want to study or not.
It’s pertinent to conduct this research before you commence the application.
Parents involvement
You may consider choosing a school that allows parent’s involvement in certain activities and decisions. This allows parents to communicate issues concerning their wards to the school teachers and vice versa. Moreover, a school with a parent-teacher association will be a better option to be considered when choosing a school.
Overall school quality
The overall quality of a school can be seen while considering some quality factors. That is to say, some factors show the quality or standard of a school. Meanwhile, some of these factors include:
- conducive learning environment
- School administrations
- Quality of the teachers
- Great facilities and equipment
- Academic learning clubs and associations
- etc
These factors above showcase how good a school is, and their ability to give you or your ward the best education.
Campus life
Campus life has to do with experiences that students pass through while on campus. These experiences come as a result of activities that go on in the school, as regards students, teachers/lecturers, extracurricular activities, and students’ social life.
Moreover, some of these activities may cause harm and may be detrimental to the health and safety of the students. Therefore, parents are to consider the trend of activities going on in a school before enrolling their children into that school.
Academics
One of the major factors to consider while choosing a school is the academic activities of the school. Moreover, academics are the major reason for studying in a school. While choosing a school, go for those with a good academic track record. By this, you are better convinced of getting the best education.
Moreover, do not choose a tertiary institution that is not offering your desired course of study. Meanwhile, you’re advised to check out the available courses before the commencement of your application.
Cost
Cost is a major factor to consider when choosing a school. It is exasperating considering the high cost of schools. This has made many parents unable to afford good schools for their wards. It is advised that you carefully consider the tuition cost of schools for each section, before proceeding with registration.
Education Board
The educational board of a school is responsible for ensuring that the school adheres to the curriculum provided by the Federal Ministry of Education. Moreover, it is important to note that the educational curriculum contains the programme of study for each educational level, throughout education. Meanwhile, teachers are to define their specific goals, strategies, and contents in line with the curriculum to give students all that they require for their studies.
School culture
The culture of a school involves all the educational activities that a school carry out which has formed the belief, values, and norms guiding the school. It also shows their level of tolerance, academic rigour, use of technology, safety and so on.
Furthermore, it also involves the behavioural patterns, interpersonal dynamics, and customs guiding a school. No parents would like to enrol their wards in a school with violent or negative values and culture. Therefore, greater consideration should be given to this factor to ensure good morals.
School leadership
The leadership of any school enable the school to thrive positively through cooperative decisions and achieving action-driven goals. Interestingly, the management staff of the school are vested with this responsibility. This is to ensure the school and students at large are advancing positively. Moreover, they cultivate leadership skills to ensure the progress of the school culture.
Extracurricular activities
It is very important to enrol in a school where you can participate in extracurricular activities. In our previous articles, we discussed extracurricular activities in detail. Kindly visit Passbuttons for the full article.
Conclusion
This article has discussed the 20 factors to look out for when choosing a school. If you enjoyed reading this article, kindly drop your comments in the comment section below. Meanwhile, you can join us or follow Passbuttons on all social media platforms using the links below:
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Frequently Asked Questions
what are the factors to consider while selecting a school site?
Kindly consider the following factors while choosing a school site:
- location
- cost
- safety
- health
- etc
How do I choose a new school?
The best factors to look out for while choosing a new school have been carefully outlined in this article. Kindly refer to this post for the full article.
what should I be looking for in a high school?
you should consider a school that has a standard academic track record and a conducive learning environment. Kindly refer to this article for the full information.
