One of the most important questions that faces students and parents alike is what should they look for when assessing the respective merits of schools and universitiesIJ And how should they find outIJ David Boddy tells you that there are certain principles to follow
Assessing the respective merits of schools and universities is an annual nightmare for students and parents. Are the academic results, achieved by any educational institution, a totally valid means to judge one over anotherIJ Or should other factors be taken into accountIJ And if you think so, how can you find out what they areIJ The problem, is that one can manipulate the data easily. But parents, especially many international ones, just want to send their children to schools that can prove they are top of the league. So the game is to avoid putting the slower children, who are all brilliant in their own way, into the statistics.
When the British Sunday Times listed the country’s top schools, several of those making it into the Top 200 academic achievers nonetheless continued to market themselves to prospective international parents as being “non-selective” when it comes to choosing their intake. Everyone on the inside of the education network knows that it is not possible to reach that level of academic achievement as a school without vigorously weeding out the doubtful achievers from the formal exam statistics.
So what should parents and pupils look for when assessing the respective merits of schools and universitiesIJ And how should they find outIJ Insiders who know what to look for and who have been closely involved for some time in the management of schools and universities know the inner strengths of each institution and are the best guides. Nonetheless, there are some principles to follow when making selections.
If academic league tables are still important to you, ask to assess the data over a longer period than one or two years. Five years is a good measure and ten years allows you to see a proper trend. If the data is based on anything less than 40 pupils taking the final exams, ignore the results completely as one or two pupils doing well or badly distort the results.
Determine the pastoral care arrangements. How large are the tutor groupsIJ Who is available for a pupil to turn to if he or she gets into difficultyIJ What do independent authorities, like authorised inspectors, say about pastoral care arrangementsIJ If pastoral care groups are larger than 10, the warm words in the marketing material should be ignored.
Does the school have a wide range of clubs, societies, interesting trips and opportunities for students to pursue things they are really interested inIJ If these are barely listed on websites or in prospectuses, as if “in passing”, let that institution go by; they don’t really mean to give the student a fully holistic education.
How important is the student voiceIJ What are the career counselling or university guidance opportunitiesIJ Schools should have a sustained programme and should take pride in where graduates move on to. If there are no serious programmes in place, and no arrangements to listen to the students, forget it.
How accessible is the top personIJ Is he or she willing to engage in communicationIJ Send an email requesting a brief Skype conversation about the educational ethos of the place and look at the response. If there are layers of bureaucracy between you and the occupant of the top job, it will speak volumes. The top person should be passionate about the ethos and always want to talk about it; if it is a burden to do so, it will not be embodied in the institution, so move on to somewhere where it is.
While most of this advise applies to schools, it has its relevance in selecting the right university too. There are two questions every student embarking on a university career should ask: What do I really want to know aboutIJ and What do I love to studyIJ
An undergraduate degree at a top university is an opportunity to develop not just an academic ability, but a passion for something which will serve throughout the rest of one’s working life. If someone never has to go to work, because what they are doing coincides with their purpose in life, then they will be both happy and successful. The best educational institution is the one where the best in every pupil is brought forth and allowed to flourish. After all, that is what the word ‘education’ means.
(The writer is principal, Anglo Schools International Services)