What to look for when choosing a boarding school?

  • 24 Dec, 2020

Choosing the right school for your ward can be a crucial turning point in his career, especially when choosing a boarding school. Boarding schools which were earlier only preferred by the richest families in India for an assured means of education are now also the preferred destination of education of an economically progressive upper middle class. The safe, secure and disciplined environment of a boarding school is no more seen as just a place of discipline for the more unruly kids who cannot be reformed by their families.

Residential schools are coming up as well organized and isolated environments where a student can study and learn effectively without the distractions of city life. A disordered city space where day boarding schools have limited operating boundary and are situated in midst of a loud, shrinking and polluted environment, is driving parents towards choosing boarding schools that are more accommodating, safe and take care of the ward’s daily needs and overall development. Today’s parents are working, which means that the kids are not always under parental guidance. To fulfill the gap between a child’s development and proper mentoring, parents are now preferring the boarding schools in India where a well versed and experienced faculty takes the responsibility of the child’s education and growth.

Another factor behind the resurgence of residential schools in India is the increased rate of crime against young girls and women in a city environment. This has prompted parents to search for well secured boarding schools for girls in India.  Boarding schools offer something day schools can never offer, the chance to flourish as an independent individual from a very young age in a disciplined and secure environment. Residential schools lighten the responsibilities on parents and entrust children under the guidance of efficient and experienced faculty who help in the holistic development of a child.

While boarding schools can be beneficial for your child, here are a few pointers to keep in mind while deciding a residential school for your child’s future education.

  1. Reputation

The prospective school’s entire program and its legacy is reflected in its public reputation. If the reputation of a residential school is spotless and illustrious, the school must have successfully fostered hundreds of students in its premises to earn the reputation. Browse different schools, interact with alumni of the school and their parents to learn more about the school and its reputation. If the school is a highly recommended school, consider enrolling your ward in the school.

  1. Academic curriculum-

At the end of the day, a school has to do what it is most expected to do- improve your child’s academic performance and build his academic career into a relevant foundation for his future life. Take into consideration the faculty, the learning methods, assessment structure and the overall curriculum followed in a school. Choose a school that has a well-balanced academic curriculum that has a comprehensive assessment procedure and puts equal weightage behind personality development and academic results.

  1. The school’s motto and vision –

Most of the time, the school motto and its vision reflect the values and morals that the school inculcates in its students. Choose a school that has a strong value system and one that aligns with the values you want to see in your ward as a grown-up individual. As the students are entrusted in the school’s care for most of their formative years, parents have to be careful while choosing a boarding school as the school will have a huge influence on the students’ later life.

  1. The size of the school’s premises-

What sets residential schools apart from day schools is the size of the campus. A residential school needs to be functional on a large area to house large number of students and provide them with enough space to live their daily life while exploring possibilities of development and education inside the safe premises of the school. Choose a residential school that is a little away from the city, has cleaner air and is based in a large area of naturally endowed environment.

  1. Safety of the student-

The biggest concern for parents is the safety of their children inside the school. Leaving behind your ward in a new school is never easy but being assured of his safety and wellness makes the experience a bit more tolerable. Choose a school that takes the security and safety of your ward very seriously. Go for a school that always has guards on duty and does not have any lapses in its security firewall so that both you and your ward can sleep easy at night.

  1. Discipline-

A crucial point of consideration for the school is an organized and structured system which establishes the importance of discipline and order in one’s life. Away from distractions and under the routine of a boarding school, students learn about the significance of time management and a structured lifestyle. The inculcation of crucial life skills and independence in the students is an important responsibility of the school.

  1. Co-curricular activities

For the overall development of a student it is important a residential school encompasses co-curricular activities in its curriculum. The curriculum cannot be all dull work and no play. The best boarding schools in India have a legacy of an illustrious tradition in sports, music, debate, dance, drama and other extracurricular activities. Allow your child to pursue his hobby into passion and develop his personality by choosing a school that has a strong presence in the extracurricular activities.

  1. Feeder schools-

Choose a school that is associated with other prestigious institutions such as good colleges that can bridge the gap between high school level and college level education smoothly.

The best boarding schools in India like the SAI International Residential school- an extension of SAI International School, put great emphasis on the features listed above. Touted as Odisha’s global Gurukul, SAI International Residential School is a modern institution that has a well-balanced curriculum of international standards and ensures holistic development of students living in its premises. With discipline and responsibility, the school inculcates a tradition of lifelong learning and development in the students’ life. The academic curriculum promotes a well-balanced growth of mind, body and soul of the students and provides them with the learning resources needed to realize their potential. With customized courses and innovative learning, the school ensures the development of critical thinking skills and problem-solving abilities in the students.

SAI International Residential School has a curriculum that goes beyond academics. SIRS’ comprehensive assessment system tracks individual progress taking both academic and co scholastic performance into consideration. With a vast campus away from the city that houses state of the art facilities and residential accommodations for its students, SAI International Residential School is not just a school, it is a secured education ecosystem that takes care of the 360-degree development of a student’s development into responsible global leaders.

Residential schools in India are the epicenters of the growth of its future generation that shape the next generation with great care and caution. Choosing a boarding school instead of a day school for your ward is not just important for his academic success but his development into a fine human being.

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