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What do you look for when you go school hunting?

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1692

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 21 March 2011 - 15:45

OMG. I'm on my iPad in a car park right no but I could write for days on this... depending on what is important to you... Def check the curr as like the other poster said, I see slot schools in Qatar say British curriculum like the school I taught at but no Britsih school I'd ever been in in the UK ever taught that!!! I think that it is important to know as much info about the teachers. A good school should be proud to share teachers credentials and experiences. Ive said this before. One has to wonder what brings a great teacher to the M.E.? Just because a school has lots of after school activities doesn't mean the teachers enjoy the extra work at the end of their day. Ask about teacher breaks/lunch breaks/planning time/professional developments. Like the other poster said, happy teachers are a good thing. I cannot tell you the shock I had working at a "british" curriculum school here in Qatar after teaching in both the us and UK. It has put me off teaching here all together. I think it's important to ask how they assess your child and how the determine if your child will be promoted. You'd be surprised. I would also ask to be put in contact with or look on the website for the PTA. Those parents usually know the good, the bad, and the ugly but obviously want to make a difference so can be quite informative and give you an overall picture. When you're dealing with a FOR Profit organisation, don't expect to get the real story on the tour :( Interested to hear your experience in the ME regarding the process of assessment... care to elaborate a little?

697

Posts

EW GURU

Latest post on 21 March 2011 - 14:40

OMG. I'm on my iPad in a car park right no but I could write for days on this... depending on what is important to you... Def check the curr as like the other poster said, I see slot schools in Qatar say British curriculum like the school I taught at but no Britsih school I'd ever been in in the UK ever taught that!!! I think that it is important to know as much info about the teachers. A good school should be proud to share teachers credentials and experiences. Ive said this before. One has to wonder what brings a great teacher to the M.E.? Just because a school has lots of after school activities doesn't mean the teachers enjoy the extra work at the end of their day. Ask about teacher breaks/lunch breaks/planning time/professional developments. Like the other poster said, happy teachers are a good thing. I cannot tell you the shock I had working at a "british" curriculum school here in Qatar after teaching in both the us and UK. It has put me off teaching here all together. I think it's important to ask how they assess your child and how the determine if your child will be promoted. You'd be surprised. I would also ask to be put in contact with or look on the website for the PTA. Those parents usually know the good, the bad, and the ugly but obviously want to make a difference so can be quite informative and give you an overall picture. When you're dealing with a FOR Profit organisation, don't expect to get the real story on the tour :(

vero possumus37927

876

Posts

EW GURU

Latest post on 21 March 2011 - 14:14

IMHO there are only a small handful of schools I would use here. If I could not secure a place in one of those, I would not use anything. I look for curriculum, accreditation and NFP.

AzaniaKhayaLam10671

329

Posts

EW EXPLORER

Latest post on 21 March 2011 - 07:20

Thank you so much ladies for your input, I would have never thought of some of the points you have highlighted. "[b'>[i'>I find it easier to accept the fact that there will never be one school that has it all and it is about finding a school you are least dissapointed in as there will always be something wrong[/i'>[/b'>"........Chaos I agree with you 100%

3220

Posts

EW MASTER

Latest post on 20 March 2011 - 17:09

Watt do you look for when you go school hunting? How fast the Headmaster can run, no fun in it otherwise! LOL Haha! ;)

1692

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 20 March 2011 - 13:08

Personally I wouldn't wrap myself up too much in the KHDA rating.... can be slightly misleading. Look at the classrooms, whats on the walls, ECA's if they are important to you, class sizes, ratio's, and I think you do get a feel for a place if you look beyond the hype... best of luck.. I wouldnt either, but I DO want to know how the school feels about it and what meassures they are taking to do better etc. If the school seems like they dont care at all then thats no good even if we all know the ratings arent spot on. Yes you are right, but lets face it all you will get from the school is lip service, but I guess if you go back through reports from previous years you can see if for example comments were made about parking facilities, you could then guage whether or not the school had actually made an effort to rectify the issue.

Sticky Wicket36659

1511

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EW EXPERT

Latest post on 20 March 2011 - 10:40

Watt do you look for when you go school hunting? How fast the Headmaster can run, no fun in it otherwise! LOL

1247

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 20 March 2011 - 09:54

Personally I wouldn't wrap myself up too much in the KHDA rating.... can be slightly misleading. Look at the classrooms, whats on the walls, ECA's if they are important to you, class sizes, ratio's, and I think you do get a feel for a place if you look beyond the hype... best of luck.. I wouldnt either, but I DO want to know how the school feels about it and what meassures they are taking to do better etc. If the school seems like they dont care at all then thats no good even if we all know the ratings arent spot on.

1692

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 20 March 2011 - 09:39

Personally I wouldn't wrap myself up too much in the KHDA rating.... can be slightly misleading. Look at the classrooms, whats on the walls, ECA's if they are important to you, class sizes, ratio's, and I think you do get a feel for a place if you look beyond the hype... best of luck..

1247

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 20 March 2011 - 09:20

I look at the childrens faces, do they look happy? Bored? Do they look like they want to be there? Also facilities are important to me, when you pay alot for a school I expect alot in return :) (library, indoor and outdoor PE facilities, pool, etc) If you are the kind of parent who likes to be involved, check how the school encourages this, I know in our school they really want parents to get involved and those of us who want to go in and take part in activities are given plenty of opportunity to do so. Homework policy if thats important to you. Personally I wouldnt send my child to a school that gives homework to the very young kids. I do find though that we get plenty of projects to do, making posters for international day, hats for green day, outfits for book day etc etc etc. I quiet enjoy it, but can get a bit much at times. I would look at the KDHA rating before coming in and also ask the school rep questions to do with any shortcomings. <em>edited by Purple on 20/03/2011</em>

107

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 20 March 2011 - 09:19

Well said K Vs K, it is very "easy" to get caught up in the 'marketing' tour of the school, especially here in DXB, hence the high proportion of "interchange" within schools here. If more schools reflected better education and leadership than "business ventures" then there would not be the need to move children from one to the other. forever 21, good luck with your decision. Take your time, do your homework and visit the schools on your list as many times as you need to to make a definate decision on a very difficult and very important task. The right school makes ALL the difference to your child and you as the parent. SH

232

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 20 March 2011 - 08:20

After the administrative due diligence, I look for happy teachers. I believe children learn in a positive environment and a happy teacher may very well reflect a positive learning outcome. Happy teachers are less likely to tolerate antisocial children (eg bullies). Hopefully this will be reflected in kids who are openly happy. By administrative due diligence I mean things like, is the curriculum accredited by the country or system that it advertises. (eg, it may advertise IB, but has it been IB approved yet... etc). I would also check to see if the school is actually affiliated with a mother school that it claims to be? Also, is it KHDA registered, how many days per year is is open etc... The third thing I would look at are facilities. Do they suit your child’s needs? Lastly, I would look at the social atmosphere for parents. Is the school inclusive eg parents groups and parent support encouraged in the classroom? I cannot stress how important it is to not just go on the ‘Marketing’ school tour but spend time watching the general student body (with permission of course) and meet with your teacher first. Think that’s it. Good luck, enjoy the ride. ;)

AzaniaKhayaLam10671

329

Posts

EW EXPLORER

Latest post on 20 March 2011 - 07:57

Hi ladies, Can you please share the important aspects you look for when you look for a school for your LO...5-6yr old, starting Grade 1 in Sep? I'm visiting a few schools and trying to compile a list of things to look out for or ask but cant seem to think of anything right now :\: TIA

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