Thursday 23 November 2017

Making a Selection between Day School and Boarding School

Selecting a school for your child is the most important and the toughest decision to make. Most parents across the globe remain in a fix on how to select the school that is best for their children. Before listing the best schools for their kids, the first question that arises is, “Should we put our children in a regular day school or in a boarding school?” The situation becomes even more puzzling when they discuss this thing with friends and other family members. Both types have their limitations and advantages. It is parents who need to decide, which one will be good for their child. 

Day School vs. Boarding School

In a day school, a co-education school is what we are taking into consideration, the children spend 6 hours a day and the focus remain more on academics than on extra-curricular activities. The major benefit associated with a day school is, the child can have and can cherish a social life after a daily dose of school hours. Taking money into consideration, these schools are more economical. The disadvantage here is – limited school timings, which means less association with teachers, since this association is bound by academic year and if both the parents of a child are working, the child’s after school hours can go un-monitored.

Now, let’s see what boarding school has to offer to its students and to their parents. The best thing about a boarding school is the fact that the children grow confident. Hostel life gives your child abundant opportunities to learn different things on daily basis, apart from this the major thing that children in boarding learn is, making their own decisions. Self-assurance and poise are so important in life and these qualities get inculcated in a boarding student progressively and inevitably because of the interactions with classmates, seniors, juniors, and staff for a longer time as compared to a day school student. However, the biggest disadvantage is that the parents of a boarding student miss their children and the chance to say good night every day. For such parents, enrolling their children at a day-boarding school is the best option. Day-boarding is the mere extension of a day school, where a child stays in school for a few more hours, involved in some good extra-curricular activities and go back home to spend further hours with family, friends and siblings. Day Boarding Schools in Dehradun are the best examples of this type.

What is best for your child?

If you want your child to be self-independent and has all the qualities mentioned above and if money is not the concern, besides time is what is lacking in your child-parent relationship then boarding school is worth considering.

Right age for boarding schools

In India, a child of age-group 8-9 years go for admission to class V, this is known to be the right age to introduce hostel life. Also, a child usually takes a year or so to settle down in a boarding, this age and onwards a boarding student start gaining things and this learning process continues to the crucial period of his growth and career i.e. till he reaches class 12th. These years are crucial because, during these years, a child starts developing his independence, his preferences and choices, his role models and above all his character.

For more information on Day Boarding Schools in Dehradun, the admission process and other related information, visit http://grdworldschooldehradun.com/ 

Wednesday 1 November 2017

How to Select the Best CBSE Board School in Dehradun

We often hear people say that every child is different, this is true for schools as well. Every boarding school is also different. Hence, it becomes imperative to study what makes any school good or bad for your child. This initial research in selecting the best CBSE Board School in Dehradun will promise the best future for your child.


What is boarding school?

Somewhat similar to Gurukul (system wherein the student (shishya) and the teacher (Guru) used to live in the same house, away from parents), boarding school is a communal setting, known for their discipline, where children learn and live. Most countries maintain an age criterion for admission to the boarding schools, like: for the UK, full boarders have the minimum age of 8, while in India it is 12 (exceptions are present, wherein they accept a child of 8 in boarding).

Types of boarding schools 
  • Uni-sex school 
  • Military school
  • Religious school
  • Day boarding – New and rising trend in India. Day boarding schools offer updated boarding services, comprises of an extended day school till 6:30 pm or 7:00 pm. Then there are 5-day boarding schools, wherein a child stays with school for 5 days and spends weekends at home with parents. Day boarding is a boon to working parents with long working hours

Tips to choose a right boarding school
Here are some helpful tips to help you in making an informed decision.

a)Explore your options – Spend quality time browsing website of each and every school. The schools maintain quality video tours on their website, find testimonials from existing students and their parents. Another option is to explore the reputed independent review websites. Make sure your list ends up with 15-20 schools.

b)Curtail your selection – It is important that you discuss with your child the pros and cons of each school shortlisted. It is imperative that you ask for your child’s preference, here is a simple way to it-
  • Which part of the country is preferable?
  • Which type of boarding school (full time, 5-day or day boarding) and curriculum?
  • Do you prefer single-ex or coeducation school?
  • Are you interested in dance, sports, music, and arts?
  • Do you want to go to a military school?
  • What about class sizes?
  • Any special interests?
  • What is the quality of residential accommodation?

c)Visit the schools – Suitability of the school can only be checked by personally visiting the school. You must go with a set of questions: academic standards, sports, and extra-curricular activities in the school, daily schedule, quality of staff, rules and regulations, timings, infrastructure, etc. Make sure, during the tour you must visit the accommodation as well.

d)Admission Process -Every school maintain standardized admission tests for judging the caliber of the student applying for admission to their boarding school. Depending on the grade of the student, the difficulty level of the test may vary, so it is important that you help your child prepare for the same.

e)Fill out the admission form – The admission for most schools are available on their websites, download it and fill it. Make sure you have all the required documents and certificates (mentioned in the admission form, checked during the interview process). Some schools declare a particular date for form distribution, so parents can buy them in person.
These are some of the criteria to judge whether the CBSE Board School in Dehradun you have selected suits your child’s personality and needs.