How to make a choice

What to look for when choosing a school?

1. Get started as early as possible: You must register with schools at least 1 year in advance, paying a small registration fee averaging £150.

In a number of schools it is better to do this in 3-4 years. Consideration of options and preparation should begin well before the school registration deadline. Generally, British parents begin attending high schools, where children enter at age 13, when children are in Year 5 (9 years). In the 6th grade (10 years old), in the fall, preliminary tests for high schools are already taken (they are crucial for admission). Preparation for exams at selective schools should begin 18-22 months in advance.

Of course, there is always the opportunity to find a place in some excellent school: six months, and even 1 month before the start of training. However, the chances of you having much choice are slim. Especially if you are applying for a school with very high academic performance or one of the famous schools of the so-called golden hundred.

2. In the UK there are boys' schools, girls' schools or co-educational schools - some schools admit only boys or girls; in others, joint education of both sexes begins in the 6th form: this is the name of the last 2 years of study. Which option is best often depends on your preferences, the personality of the individual child and the age of admission. Here you can read about the advantages of single-sex or coeducational education. 

3. Boarding or full-time education – Do you want your child to study on a full-time, full-board or weekly boarding basis? The day option is divided into two options: a pure day school, or a boarding school, which provides the opportunity to be a day student. In the first case, the day ends earlier, but at a boarding school the day is scheduled until the evening, and  Students are often assigned to a room where they can change clothes or study at their own desk.

4. Full board – This is accommodation at school 24/7, and the form of a weekly boarding house – accommodation 5 days a week. There is also a flexible boarding option, that is, 2-4 nights a week. Weekly boarding and full-time education are available only to children of those parents who have the legal right to stay in the UK for 1 year or more (work visa, residence permit, etc.). This right, in particular, can be obtained by mothers of any country with children from 4 to 11 years old.

5. If you like the idea of full board, then you need to take into account the number of students who live full board 24/7, so that the school is not empty on weekends, and also clearly understand what happens at the school on weekends. p>

6. Location – For day schools, travel times need to be taken into account (in London, a 40-60 minute journey is the norm and children often travel by school bus).  Of course, the school may be near your home, within walking distance, so you always choose a school first, and then housing.

7. For boarding school, you will need to consider the proximity to where you liveand the feasibility of a weekend trip home if you live in the UK. You can also decide if you want your child to attend a city school  or in rural areas: each case will have its own advantages and disadvantages.

8. Academic level and curriculum – you will need to consider which schools are suitable for your child academically so that they are challenged enough without being overwhelmed. Many parents rely on ratings when choosing a school.
Keep in mind: ratings – This is just one source of information to use when choosing, and understand that two schools next to each other may be completely different in student composition, philosophy, childcare, strengths and weaknesses and level of prestige among British parents.

9. Schools in the UK also differ in the pace of learning, that is, they recruit those students who correspond to the speed at which the school is studying, and in order to maximize the assimilation of the material, it is important to get exactly at the ideal speed for the child.

10. Each school offers its own tests and/or has its own criteria for assessing entrance exams. Sometimes a school with a higher score is easier to get into than a school with a lower one. You also need to understand that mosyu children are simply above average into outstanding students. They accept students who have already achieved maximum results and will be able to study at the fast pace of the school, and will also bring academic success to the school.

11.For senior years you will need to consider the choice of qualifications on offer; most schools offer A Levels, but some offer only IB (International Baccalaureate) or both IB and A levels. You need to choose the best option for your child. 

12. Extra-curricular activities are an important part of the educational processin UK schools. If your child is professionally involved in some kind of sport or art, you need to choose a school where this activity is presented not just as part of a club, but at a level that suits your child.

13. Special educational needs (SEN)occurs in every 5th child. These include dyslexia, dyspraxia, hyperactivity disorder and attention deficit disorder, autism spectrum and so on. All schools support students with learning difficulties, but each to varying degrees. This degree should be tailored to your needs.

14. Many schools help students with limited English proficiency. However, the policies and human resources of  schools on this issue also vary greatly.

Read how to choose a school selection consultant, and why is it needed at all?

Where should I start to understand?

• Ask your friends.
  This may seem obvious, but a good place to start is by asking your friends, relatives and, of course, their children. Remember that many teenagers may not talk about the positive aspects of their school days, and friends will only offer you their subjective experiences. They have a different child, and often different initial data + tasks.
• Explore the school website in detail.
  Less visible pages (such as news sections and after-school clubs) can reveal more about the school than a glamorous home page. Many schools show videos on their websites about their campuses and school life, and some now offer virtual tours.
  You can register for an open house when a lot of parents show up. However, we offer individual visits, which must be agreed upon with the admissions committee.
• You can read the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) reports.
  This is a government-approved organization that regularly inspects and monitors the education and accommodation conditions of private schools according to the standards set by the government.< /li>
• Tatler Schools Guide.
  Tatler Schools Guide always has its say, and British parents listen to it. It offers an in-depth look at 350 of the country's best private schools. While they may be of a high standard, they will all be very different from each other.
• Involve a Paradise Expert.
  To avoid a costly mistake, you should contact us: we pride ourselves on our ability to diagnose and select the ideal school that meets the wishes of the family and the capabilities + characteristics of the child. Our experience since 1996 is enormous, we have visited hundreds of schools, helped more than 2,000 children enroll, and we know how schools differ from others and explain why a particular school is suitable for a student. We know well what admissions committees expect from us, and they trust us.

Full list of our services and their cost

Our first consultation is free and does not oblige you to anything. It lasts from 1 hour to 1.5 hours. Typically, in London companies a free consultation lasts 15 minutes, then a paid consultation costs from 350 to 450 pounds per hour-long conversation.

We believe that the client should be convinced of our level of expertise and understand the system, as well as the strategy for choosing the educational path of his child/children.

Write, we will be happy to schedule a consultation.

To get a consultation

British boarding school: instructions for children under 13

British boarding school: instructions for children 14+

More tips when choosing a boarding school

Tip No. 1: reputation of the school – a very important indicator in Britain, and it has no connection with the league tables. Some schools that occupy the first lines of the rankings are considered unsuccessful among the British. They are attended mainly by foreigners, mainly from Asia, and it is they who, through their efforts, provide this school with high results. In addition, in the first hundred ratings, many schools are day schools; children do not live in them. Citizens of the CIS do not have the right to educate their children there unless they are residents or holders of certain visas.

Tip No. 2:don’t send your child “out for company.” What suits one child is not so good for another, and sometimes is contraindicated. There are several hundred boarding schools in Britain, all of them unique. Even children from the same family often study in different schools.

Tip #3: Be careful when choosing an educational company or consultant. Many advertise that they are engaged in education abroad, and at the same time sell air tickets, charter tours to Thailand. Boarding schools – it is a very nuanced, complex product that has nothing to do with tourism. If a company has been devoting all its time to them for at least the last 15 years, only then can it be called an expert.

Also beware of consultants living in England who do not have their own website, a file of reviews, or a blog on social networks, from which you can get an idea of their level of expertise. Often these people know several schools in their district where their children studied or where rare clients were admitted, nothing more. Living in the UK does not at all mean professionalism in the field of private education. Just like living in Siberia does not make its residents experts in bear hunting.

Tip No. 4: do not be tempted by free services of educational companies: they receive quite a large reward from a narrow list schools they work with. Thus, the choice of school will be based not on the needs of your child, but on the benefit of the company.  

Tip No. 5: evaluate the company’s website and the amount/usefulness of information on it. Look at customer reviews: can you Google them, can you write/call them? Do this to be sure.

Tip #6: visit schools, asking us first what to look for. This is as important as inspecting a home before purchasing it. 

Typical misconceptions when choosing a boarding school

Catalog of boarding schools

Tips for choosing summer courses

Tip No. 1: be careful when choosing a summer course, make inquiries! There are thousands of summer camps in the UK, all of very different quality.

As a rule, networking organizations rent school or university premises and quickly hire teachers who may not even have a teaching diploma. A number of employees “do not have time” to pass the police check. Quotas for nationality no, so there may be 10 Italians and 5 Russians in the class. The promise of “15 people in the class” is also not always observed. These are schools for the mass segment, with mediocre food, not always clean dormitories (and sometimes covered with mold) and excursions for show, when the bus is loaded and taken to the destination and there they offer to go shopping.

The Paradise company works with summer camps for discerning clients, which are conducted by the school itself (and not by tenants), or by an organization operating in the most expensive segment. Here we can be confident about safety, the level of teaching, leisure and food. By contacting us, you will find peace of mind. 

OwlsNo. 2: make sure that nutrition will be at a high level. In a cheap camp, this aspect can be a complete disaster (little meat, a lot of fast food). A packed lunch may consist of the cheapest white bread and plasticine, inedible cheese + a green apple and a drink. Cereals and toast for breakfast. Meager dinner. It is very important that the company you send your child through communicates with the school's chefs in advance and is confident (not just hoping) that the food will be plentiful.

Tip #3: Make sure the summer school has a nationality quota (20% maximum). To avoid too many children speaking the same language. Such a quota is observed only in the best schools. 

Tip No. 4: under no circumstances do not send your child to a course with accommodation with a family: in In England it is a disaster in 90% of cases. In Canada and Ireland, homestays have a better chance of success than in the UK. But family is always a lottery. Read our tips about why you shouldn’t choose a family.

Tip No. 5: make sure that representatives of the sending company have personally inspected the residence in which your child will live. English sewerage leaves much to be desired, the insides of old residences often need major repairs. Sometimes there is not enough light. The photo in the brochure or on the website may show a restored wing, but in reality your child will end up in a damp, shabby building with intermittent water supply.

Tip No. 6: Find out about any additional costs in advance. The weekly program of low-cost schools in the mass segment often looks promising, but in reality it turns out to be crammed with events for show, such as watching a movie in the school assembly hall or shopping. A number of interesting activities and excursions are available for an additional fee. 

Tip No. 7: ask the company for the phone numbers of its clients who sent their child to this camp. If a company can't provide them, it makes you wonder.

Tip No. 8. Find out if the company 24-hour telephone, and check if they answer it in the middle of the night or on weekends. Otherwise, resolving any issues outside of working hours may be difficult. But children fly to summer camps on weekends.

Tip No. 9: evaluate the reviews of the company’s clients on their website. If the reviews are real, a photo, full name, position and contact information of the client must be provided. Reviews without photos like “John Smith, UK” most often falsified, they cannot be verified.