5 Essential Tips in Choosing the Right School for your Child

Having worked in the education sector for 23 years, I often have friends and family ask me for advice on where to send their children to school. The answer has never been straight forward, but with employment trends changing on a regular basis and new types of jobs finding their way to market on what seems a daily basis, how are parents to make a decision that supports their child for the rest of their lives? It is such an important decision and one that, as a parent, we worry about getting wrong. I hope that the below steps help to give you confidence in the decisions you are making.

This is the advice I give to my friends and family:

Before you consider any schools, think about what is most important to you (e.g. inclusive, friendly, academic outcomes, positive). This could of course change as your child develops and their needs evolve. Commit these criteria to paper and assess all schools you are considering against your criteria.
Do your research. Use the internet, social media and where possible, talk to other parents. Look at all the schools you deem to be appropriate in your area and consider them against your criteria.
Produce a shortlist of the schools you are interested in and visit them all. Try to visit them during the school day and picture your child (whom you know better than anyone else) in that environment. Look at the faces of the children in the classes and assess the quality and warmth of the interactions between the staff and the students. Ask questions related to your criteria (devised in step 1) and look for evidence of those criteria on your tour.
Assess the quality of interaction you have with the adults in the school. Is this a school that wants to work in partnership with you to support your child to be the best they can be?
Make your decision based on what you believe to be the best school for your child.

I wish you the best of luck in choosing the school that is right for your child and I hope to meet some of you!

Matt Tompkins is the Principal and CEO of GEMS FirstPoint School in Dubai. He moved to Dubai 13 months ago, leaving the UK to work abroad for the first time. Matt was previously the Principal of an Outstanding school in Kent that was in the top 1% in England for progress in English, Maths, and Science. Matt joined GEMS because he was inspired by the vision of its leaders and the passion they have for making a difference to every child they work with. In the short time Matt has been in the UAE, he has already led his new school to record results, setting high expectations of all he works alongside in the pursuit of excellence for every child in his school.

GEMS FirstPoint is the KHDA RAHHAL Programme’s lead school in the UAE for School and Industry Links and it has recently teamed up with The David Leadbetter Academy to start a Golf Centre of excellence at the school.

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