Choosing the right education path for your child often starts long before they reach school age. Parents know their children best, and thankfully, these days, the choices for education are much more flexible than they once were.
You’re not stuck to only sending your child to school if this isn’t the right choice for you. Because getting it right before their education journey starts can build the blocks for a successful journey that supports them as a child, as they are now and their future too.
So what are your options?
Early Years Settings and State Education
This is the standard route for many parents, and entering your child into the education system at the beginning is the right choice and makes sense. Your child then comes up from nurseries, preschools and reception classes.
If you want your child to be immersed in the local area, meet other children and benefit from highly skilled teachers who work with children from the ages of 4 upwards, all with a routine in place with structure and familiarity, it can be the right decision for everyone.
Schools can and do vary from area to area; class sizes will be dependent on school size and catchment area, and resources are often impacted by these factors, too. But finding the perfect school in your local area can be the option that makes sense for everyone.
Private Schools
Private schools are like state schools, but you need to pay for them yourself. And it’s an option thousands of parents across the country choose for their children.
For families who prefer continuity, i.e. their child is in the same school setting for the entirety of their journey, some private schools offer this option, and it removes the transition from primary to secondary school and sixth form.
Not all private schools offer this, and you need to do your research to ensure the school you choose aligns with how you see your child being educated and what you want them to experience. But if it’s smaller class sizes, one educational environment, a consistent approach to learning and pastoral care, private schools are definitely an option you need to consider.
Home Education and Flexible Learning
More and more parents are choosing to keep their children out of mainstream education and choose home-based and flexible learning options for them instead.
There are many benefits and potential drawbacks for this, and each family has their own reason for why this is right for them.
But if you’re looking for a more flexible and immersive education journey that works to your child’s skill sets and needs, then creating a schedule around your life can be exactly what you need.
Home schooling does not need to follow the same curriculum and rigid structure as formal education, and there are many resources online to help you build your own learning plan, as well as support groups, community groups and more, all geared for home educators.
It does, however, require a significant amount of time, commitment and confidence from parents, and if you wish, you can blend online learning, tutor-led classes or remote learning as your child gets older to supplement learning or help out with subjects you’re not familiar with or confident in.
Home-educated children can still get the learning experience they need, socialisation and physical aspects of learning, they just get it all outside of the traditional classroom. Instead, the world is their classroom.