Heads You Win

Heather Miller, Head of Infants & Juniors, Dover College

You would never buy a house after seeing it once: the same is true of investing in your child's education. I'd advise parents to look around at a variety of schools so that they have a real sense of what is available. If you have never considered an independent school, include one in your visits. Similarly, visit local state schools so you can judge for yourself and not go on presumption and rumour.

I'd want to find a school that offers a broad range of academic and extra-curricular activities because education is about the whole. Is the curriculum inventive? Do they offer concerts and trips? As you look round a school, you will see if they are using different ways to present the curriculum and offer holistic learning. Good pastoral care is important. As a parent, you will be able to see if the pupils have a positive relationship with the adults in the school. I wouldn't necessarily want a child to be overly confident with adults but I would expect them to feel secure when in adult company. Staff should be aware of all the children in their care, so a Reception teacher should have a good rapport with a Year 4 child.

Academic excellence is important but not just in how many children have passed the Kent Test or a quantity of GCSEs. A good school will do its absolute best by each individual child and that will be a true reflection of the real unscaffolded academic limit of a student. I'd want an education that can give my child the confidence to go it alone. There is no point in a school pushing a child through the Kent Test only for them to struggle at the next level. Independent education at primary level shouldn't be seen as an automatic pass to grammar school education.

Parents shouldn't be swayed by a glossy veneer. Outstanding facilities and matching curtains may look much better than the village school reception class without the adventure playground outside – but bright toys and cushions don't make an education. Talk to the staff, see that the displays are recent and good quality, and be confident that the school you choose offers a positive environment in which your child can learn and be happy.

Dover College is a co-educational day school for pupils aged 4 to 18, and a boarding school for boys and girls aged 11-18. www.dovercollege.co.uk