There is no doubt that some schools are better than others and even amongst the good ones, some will suit your child’s personanilty better than others.

So, when should you consider moving your child to another school?

1. Relocation

As with property, if you move to the Cape, it is unlikely that you would want to hold property, or have your child educated, in Johannesburg, so this is rather a forced change of schools.

2. Unhappy child

You child may be unhappy at a particular school for various reasons, such as his/her sporting aspirations, bullying, the teaching staff. When considering a change, bear in mind that your child will take themselves with them wherever they go and it may be that they will be a target for bullying or they may not get on with their teachers wherever they go. If that were the case, then there’s no point in changing.

3. Quality of education

Some class sizes are in the mid 40’s whilst others, such as those at Gallagher Combined School, are much smaller and are guaranteed not to exceed a cerain number, such as 24. There are other factors which may result in poor education at a particular school, including the attitudes of the management (in particular), the Principal and the staff. If you ar not happy with the quality of education, then there’s every reason to consider a move.

4. School culture

As is the case with companies (and countries), the culture of the school is largely determined by the type of people that manage the school at the top. I had one prospective parent in my office who was excited to show me her son’s portfolio of achievements. This consisted of endless certificates of achievement collected over his school career to date. I am a Professional Engineer, Chartered Accountant and Registered Auditor. If I wanted to put all available letters after my name there would be so many it would look ridiculous, so I am not impressed by that sort of thing. So, at Gallagher Combined School, we don’t go overboard on awards and consequently would not (and did not) attract collectors of badges, ribbons and blazers. If the culture of the school is not consistent with yours, think seriously of a move.