A little consultation makes enrolment easier . . .

IT might only seem like yesterday that your child made that giant step into primary school and their first real major encounter with the world. Choosing a secondary school is a bit similar except this time your child is likely to have a say in where they would like to go. Many things enter into the equation here that parents will need to take note of. While teenage years undoubtedly come with tantrums, it’s also the first time in life when they start to form opinions of their own and, who knows, perhaps the choice of secondary school is among them.

A brief consultation period is needed here to help you arrive at a decision based on what you feel is right as a parent. Very often the choice of secondary school will be predetermined by a whole host of different factors. For example, enrolling in a secondary school previously attended by siblings tends to sway decisions as the school will be familiar to you. You may even have attended the same school yourself.

Other factors that come into play when choosing a secondary school are those based on a child’s educational skills. Should you feel a particular school is better suited, then naturally this will colour your final decision. This can be tricky as a child’s transition into adolescence is in a constant state of change. So what may feel right at the start of secondary school might be totally at odds a year or two later. But this in itself is part of the whole transition period for children entering secondary school and this conundrum is unlikely to ever become an exact science.

Your child’s teacher and principal are also invaluable during this tense transitional period. More than anyone else, they are the ones best placed to know how your child is likely to adapt in a new classroom setting and if you haven’t already had a chat, now would be a good time to do so. A child’s friends are also important when choosing a secondary school and the continuity of friendships build up during those early years last lifetime.

If your child’s best friend(s) are heading to the same secondary school, then it seems fair that this is where they should go. Having the comfort of familiar faces and friendship during first and second year should not be underestimated when it comes to easing a child’s transition between schools. Whatever the decision, it will be made much easier by some basic consultation by everyone involved.

Modern technology plays a very important part in secondary school education.

Electronic aids have become a major part of the educational curriculum.