Potential pupils at Roedean get a taster for life at the girls’ school on its themed Discovery Days: a murder mystery
Potential pupils at Roedean get a taster for life at the girls’ school on its themed Discovery Days: a “murder mystery” event in November will allow 9-12 year-olds to take part in forensic science, English and drama activities and spend time with existing pupils.There is no better advert for, or warning against a school than its current student body. Parents considering the sixth form at ACS Egham can quiz an admissions officer from a local university about the school’s International Baccalaureate programme. The ideal open day takes place when the school is in full swing: open days that take place out of term time or on weekends can be a second-class experience.Most open days involve a speech from the head and a tour of the premises. “Very few things are as important as your child’s education.”Parents are advised to draw up a checklist of qualities they are looking for and then rate the school against each item on the list. For them, the open day is an informal introduction to fee-paying education.
But, cautions Fergus Rose of ACS Egham International School in Surrey, parents can sometimes sit in awe rather than probing the school about its suitability.
“Parents must ask the challenging questions and keep asking them until they get the answers they need,” says Rose. About 60 per cent of the enquiries to the Independent Schools Council Information Service are from those with no previous experience of the independent education sector. Despite being something of a staged event, the open day can still be an invaluable fact-finding mission for parents, particularly those new to the independent education sector. Tis the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness…and school open days. Independent schools are gearing up to throw open their doors to prospective parents: speeches are being written, buildings spruced up and pupils exhorted to be on their best behaviour.
Citizenship classes will teach the rights and responsibilities of consumers, employers and employees RG. “It taught them all about recruitment techniques and how to conduct an interview,” he explained.Remember, what Rotherham is doing today, a Labour government led by Gordon Brown could be introducing to every school in the country tomorrow.Teaching the profit motiveFrom this month, schools will teach personal finance as part of personal, social and health education and citizenship. Every school will also appoint an “enterprise champion” from among the staff to ensure the project is fully implemented. And, what about four-year-olds? How do you interest them in enterprise? One school used the theme of a wedding, explains Mike Garnock-Jones, the programme director They asked the children to choose a vicar for the service Six were selected as potential candidates and interviewed. “The teacher could probably have stayed in a five-star hotel,” says Joanna Duffin, another teacher at the school.As the project progresses, “Rotherham Ready” – as it is called – will establish a “young person’s chamber” in every primary and secondary school to be run along the lines of a Chamber of Commerce to talk about business. They wrote to local firms, organised a bring-and-buy sale at the school and within a few weeks had raised £876 Problem sorted.
