Why do so many families continue to make significant financial sacrifices in order to send their children to an Independent School?

Why go private – Stoodley Knowle

Why do so many families continue to make significant financial sacrifices in order to send their children to an Independent School?

Is it possible that, despite rhetoric to the contrary, successive governments have actually failed to meet many parents’ educational priorities? As well as examination success how many parents would not consider small class sizes, a choice of single sex education, continuity of staffing, high academic expectation and high standards of discipline, as essential factors in their child’s social, moral and spiritual development?

All schools, both Maintained and Independent, do the best they can for the children in their care but few have the freedom to establish and maintain the standards they would wish for. League Tables have become a confusing morass of information, with ever changing criteria and endless, often meaningless, columns of percentages and statistics. Many excellent Independent Schools results are misleadingly represented because they choose to follow a more rigorous examination syllabus, which is recognised and endorsed by all Universities, but not recognised by the Department for Education!

True and enduring standards require stability, not politically driven continuous changes of policy and initiatives. Parental choice of school is an ideal, but, in many areas of the country, not a reality. Outstanding schools, particularly at secondary level, are considerably oversubscribed and many children are unable to attain places.

Until there is true choice and diversity in the Maintained sector parents will continue to make sacrifices and select an Independent school for their child. Schools like Stoodley Knowle, in existence for over a hundred years as an all girls’ school, can still prioritise and maintain the traditional values that are fundamental to the success of its pupils. It is not by accident that year after year the school has outstanding value-added examination statistics, can function within an ordered and structured environment, retains consistency of staffing and demands high standards of behaviour. The reasons are simple. Stability, parental support and a profound belief that all children are talented and, if they are prepared to work hard and match the expectations of their teachers, can achieve beyond expectation.

So, sacrifices will continue to be made by many hard working families until their priorities are recognised and acted upon by government and true parental choice of school for the particular needs of their individual child becomes a fundamental right.

Jane White

Headteacher

Stoodley Knowle School

Stoodley Knowle School, Ansteys Cove Road, Torquay, Devon TQ1 2JB

Telephone 01803 293160

e-mail: headoffice@stoodleyknowle.devon.sch.uk