How to Choose a High School for Your Child?

Give yourself a pat on the back as you have successfully steered your child through a risky realm of primary school. 

But, your job doesn’t end there. Now ,more than ever, you will require taking care of your child’s educational needs because the secondary schools will get tough both on your child and yourself equally.

Choosing the appropriate high school matters….a lot!

Before your child begins high school, it is important that you choose the right one that will provide him a platform for a conducive learning environment. Your child will be a teenager now, which means that the time spent in high school will play a huge role in developing his/her personality, character as well as influencing their life choices. 

We know that navigating through the increasing myriad of international schools can prove challenging. So, to help you with the process, we have assembled this blog post with some important tips and tricks that will come in handy when choosing a secondary school for your child. 

1- Understand your child’s strengths, learning styles and habits: 

As your child must have reached the teenage years, he/she is old enough to make certain decisions for themselves. So, take some time to listen to what he/she wants before you offer advice or help from your perspective. 

And since the next 4 to 5 years are crucial for building stronger morals and values, letting them explore their interests and learn about themselves can prove helpful. 

Also, other than focusing on the academic results, ensure that you talk to your child about his/her interests and aspirations, too. If your child is lost, help him/her find out skills, qualities and type of activities that suits him/her better, etc. 

This process will help you and your child to make informed decisions and not waste the international schools' fees you will be paying.

2- Know the PSLE cut off points for previous years: 

Since January 2021, the PSLE scoring system has been altered. Even though this point isn’t useful for 2021 P6 students, it is important for parents and students in future who may want to choose the right secondary school. 

One of the main reasons why the previous year’s cut off points are useful is that the current standard can serve as a guide of your likelihood of getting into these high schools. 

3- Proximity and accessibility: 

One of the mundane factors when it comes to choosing a high school is its location. 

Even though your child is old enough to travel alone, your child’s well-being matters, too. Besides, secondary schools located miles away from your house can cause hindrance and prove unsafe during unpleasant climates. 

And since time is precious in secondary school, the hours spent travelling will exhaust your child, leaving much less energy to focus on studies when home. 

4- Check what high school offers your child: 

Every secondary school is different from each other when it comes to values. So, it is better to opt for schools holistically, meaning, you should  inspect the environment, programmes offered by them, available CCAs, their culture, etc. 

And since your child will go through an important phase, that is, secondary two streaming exercise where he/she will be required to choose subject combinations for secondary three as well as the subjects they will be taking exams for during the O Levels Examinations by the secondary four’s end. 

So, checking what subjects the school provides is crucial before you pay its international school fees. 

5- Assess the international school’s fees: 

You may want to offer your child exceptional education; we agree on that. But, keep in mind that high school is one of the many important sections of the educational system. 

The more money you save on the international school fees now can be redeployed into further enrichment or even tuition programmes so that your child gains an edge in the ultra-competitive educational system. 

6- Graduate results track records: 

Even though most high schools offer reassurance to the parents by exhibiting the standard of pedagogy and achievement of former students. It is always better to check the information and historical data of O Levels, A-Levels and International Baccalaureate Diploma exam results on the website. 

Many schools do post the exam results and information of their recent graduating cohort on their websites. This information can prove highly valuable if you wish to compare multiple schools based on their overall academic results and teaching standards. 

Over to you

Once you shortlist 3 to 4 high schools based on the tips suggested above, it is highly recommended that you visit these schools along with your child on their open house dates.

This way, you and the child can get acquainted with the school’s teaching staff, management, and senior schoolmates. Therefore, it allows you to understand if you have made the right decision for your child or not.