Excited about searching for the best international schools in Pune for your child? You might want to ask these questions before filling the school admission form.
If you’re in the middle of evaluating schools and figuring out the ideal school for your child, then you must be aware that most schools schedule an interview with the parents.
The interview might be scheduled during the campus tour or can be scheduled later on. Due to the ongoing pandemic, you might have to attend virtual interviews too.
This interview is not simply scheduled for the school authorities to evaluate you or the child. Rather, you can also ask some questions during the interview or any time before filling out the school admission form.
These questions will help you understand the values and morals set by the school and if this school is the right fit for your child.
Today we present a list of questions that you should ask before enrolling your child or filling out the school admission form.
1. What is a Typical Day in Your School Like?
The authority’s answer to this question will help you understand what your child will endure in school. You can ask about the school timings, the transportation options, breakfast, break, lunch options, and the strength of the class.
Due to the pandemic, how well can the teachers handle the class? How do they ensure the students learn what is being taught in class? If a student misbehaves or creates trouble in a class, how does she handle such students online? Answers to such questions can speak a lot about how the teachers treat the students.
2. What Programs Are Offered by the Best International Schools in Pune?
Before you fill out the school admission form, you must ask this important question regarding the curriculum and extracurricular activities. What additional programs or activities does the school undertake to ensure that the students excel in academics and other aspects of life.
A key quality of the best international schools in Pune are that they help students excel in extracurricular activities and encourage them to learn new things independently. They should have several clubs such as dance, music, debate, elocution clubs, and amenities to help the students explore and learn new concepts independently.
3. What is the School’s Philosophy and Vision?
It is not a wise decision to send your child to a school without knowing the staff’s philosophy and moral values. Enquire whether the students are allowed to do exploratory learning, get hands-on experience on different items, etc.
Are they encouraged to work in teams and find a solution, or do the teachers help them immediately, thereby not giving them the space to figure out things independently?
Each school has a common vision to help students reach their full potential, thereby helping them grow. Ask how they are implementing this vision.
4. What Type of Students Are the School Looking For?
Different schools have different needs for a child. There is a general perception that the best international schools in Pune only accept students who are good at academics. That is, however, not the case.
Some schools accept students who are curious and try to learn things independently, while some accept students who are good at certain tasks.
If the school has a specific need, then as a parent, you should be aware of the need, and only if your child can meet the needs, can you consider sending them to that school.
For that, you should know your child excels in which field.
5. What is the Student-to-Teacher Ratio?
It is no secret that in a class full of 60 students, the teacher can’t focus on every child. Therefore, the school and the parents have also become aware and choose schools with a small number of students in a class.
The lower the student-to-teacher ratio, the more attention a teacher can offer to students. The ideal strength of the class should be around 20-25 students. If the strength of the class is more than that, it is advised to choose another school.
6. Before Filing Out the School Admission Form, Enquire About the Fee Structure
Some of the so-called best international schools in Pune charge a lump sum of money as fees but do not provide students the quality education that commensurate the fees. This is a big red flag.
Therefore, you should ask the authorities about how they spend the fees and what facilities the school provides. In some schools, you pay additional fees for the transportation, the uniforms, the textbooks, field trips, canteen, etc.
7. What Are the Teacher’s Qualifications?
Since teachers are like second parents, it is of utmost importance that the school should employ only qualified teachers. If the teachers are not dedicated, passionate, or well-trained, they are in no way experienced to teach the students.
They won’t be able to teach good values and help the students grow into good and responsible citizens. Enquire about how the school gives opportunities to teachers to help them develop new skills professionally.
Like students, the teachers also need to attend workshops and events from time to time to ensure they are on top of the field to teach the students the specific skills they need.
8. How Do They Use New Technologies in the Classroom?
The ongoing pandemic brought the entire world to a standstill, and yet there has been a significant increase in the use of new features that we continuously use for ease of life.
The best international schools in Pune have started using laptops, interactive whiteboards, e-readers, projectors to help students learn difficult concepts easily.
Ask the school what new tech-savvy features they are planning to use once the school resumes. Most of the authorities talk about how they plan to use the new technological advancements during the school admission form filling process.
But it is crucial to know how the students benefit from these features and are the students getting the features that the school authorities are promising.
Wrapping Up
These were some of the points that you should ask the school authorities during your interview. Hope this was helpful.
