I did not have the time to write an article yesterday so I'm doing an extra long and in-depth one today. As I shared with you in my first article I'm a teacher at an independent school in the lovely United Kingdom. Since there are a lot of people out there that have virtually no idea what an independent school really is and what it means to teach there, I will try to explain a little more about that here. I will also write a few paragraphs on what I consider to be an informational website, this is so that I can later on in the next few articles, review some websites that I used for different school projects and that really appeal to me and my students.

What is an independent school?

Basically in an independent school is a school that receives no finances or monetary advantages from the government. This means that it is totally independent and does not need money from the outside to continue its operations. The money that regular schools get to finance their curriculum usually comes from the government and is paid by taxpayer money. But now I hear you think, how does the independent school even come close to the level of education that the regular schools have? The independent schools are financed by tuitions, donations and other types of financial support from non-governmental institutions.
Currently there are about 2300 schools in the UK that we can see as independent, meaning independent from local or central government control (as in financial support). They are sometimes called fee-paying (or, more accurately, fee-charging) schools because they charge parents fees. This can be in the form of donations or in the form of tuition money. They are sometimes also referred to as private schools but this is, in my opinion, quite misleading since most schools within the ISC (the Independent School Council: the governing organ of all independent schools) are not privately owned. Most of the schools have their own governing boards of governors and a so-called bursar: the person who is mainly responsible for the financial management of the school. Any extra income is usually all used for the benefit of the school and its students. The head of the school has his or her responsibility towards the governors. Yet he or she has the freedom to appoint staff, admit pupils and take day-to-day decisions concerning school and financial management.

Advice on choosing a school

Now that you know what an independent school is and what it stands for, I will add some more information on how you can find the best school for your child. Beware that the information I provide should only be the start of your quest for the right school. After you selected a couple of schools I advise you inquire more information about it by e-mailing them. The best way to find out about a school is of course by visiting it in person. Most of the independent schools have open days for prospective students and their parents. You can also make an appointment on a normal working day to see how the day-to-day routine is on that particular school.

Underneath I will give some quick pointers that you should, in my opinion, definitely take into account when choosing a school for your child.

• Students: How do they look and behave? Do you have a chance to speak to them yourself? If so, definitely do: inquire about their routine on school and whether they like or not.
• The head of the school: How does the head deal with your questions? Does he or she show an interest in YOUR child?
• The staff of the school: Look for the proper qualification.
• Discipline: Look for a type of discipline that you teach your child at home as well. This way the child knows exactly what to expect: both at school and at home.
• Curriculum: Try to find schools with a broad yet balanced curriculum.
• Exam results? Do not only select schools that appear in the "league tables". A school's performance can not only be tested through examinations, it only reflects the schools’ academic intake. A school that scores really well in the “league tables” might not be in the best school for you child after all. Many independent schools admit pupils with a wide range of abilities. You should try to find the school that fits your child's needs, not your wish for him or her to go to the best university later on.
• If you would like more individual attention for your child, you should try to find schools with appropriate class sizes. Many schools vary: in most prep schools, classes will be between 15-20 children while in some senior day schools classes might exceed 25 children.

Informational websites

Now at the beginning of this article I said that I would write a little bit about informational websites as well. Why do I do this? Because in the future I intend to write a couple of reviews of websites that I have used for a variety of different school projects. I know that many teachers have a hard time selecting websites that are credible, honest and child-friendly enough for their students to visit. Below I will present you with a little list that I created for myself, I try to check off every bullet on this list before even presenting the website to my students.

Content. One of the first things I think is really important in an informational website is content (of course). The content on the website must be sufficient and credible. I like to see websites that have at least 10 articles on them, going in to the subject matter as deep as possible. I don't necessarily need to know exactly who wrote the content and who contributed but a list of sources is always nice to see. By content I mean text but also pictures. Pictures are definitely a great way for children to learn, a website with only plain text is perceived as extremely boring. Adding a few pictures will encourage the child to read.

Advertisements. When I see advertisements I usually skip on through the next page. Although this does not completely apply to every website that I visit. A lot of website owners make websites for fun and not for money, I understand that. Hosting the website (to keep it viewable on the internet) and a domain name cost money so having a few advertisements doesn't really bother me. I usually tell my students not to click on advertisements unless they actually provide more information on the subject. But who am I to blame the independent kids when they click on an advertisement about a silly game?

Domain. This might not be a very obvious one but I still think it's really important. You can see the domain name of the website on the top of your screen. I usually check whether the domain name matches the content of the website: if this is the case I pass it, if it is not the case I usually skip through to another website. Why do I do this? It's really simple, I want websites that focus on one very specific subject, not a whole bunch of them. When an informational website focuses on one single subject I know that the creator of it spend some time researching the subject.

It was a short but good list, I hope. If you have any more questions feel free to contact me. Many schools within the Independent School Council have some more in-depth rules about which websites they deem to be appropriate for kids.