What are the qualities of an excellent primary school in the Philippines?
- Skilled and attentive educators and staff
- Safe and supportive school community
- A balance between academic and emotional development
- Individualized learning goals for students
- Passionate educators
- A fun and intentional learning environment
- Opportunities for critical thinking and problem solving
What do you want your child to get out of their early years in school? Academic achievements? A love of learning? Leadership and social skills? No matter what you seek for your child, you must pick the right primary school in the Philippines in order to achieve your plan for them.
So, how does one find the best school to set their child on the right path? Here are seven essential qualities of a great primary school in the Philippines that you should seek out when evaluating a school for your young student.
Skilled and attentive educators and staff
The first quality to check for is the quality and skill of the principal, educators, and other supporting staff. If strong and effective leadership is there, then the school’s mission and vision are upheld, and a comprehensive and collaborative strategy with teachers is in place to better meet the needs of their students.
Furthermore, students learn best when they know they can rely on their teachers. They need skilled and attentive teachers so that they know that teachers want to know them, but are also there to help them achieve their learning goals.
To see if a school’s teachers can build good relationships with young learners, look for smaller class sizes, friendly staff, interactive lessons, and provision for one-on-one time sessions with students. These are obvious signs that the school emphasizes good teacher-student relationships.
Safe and supportive school community
Students also learn better when they know that their environment is safe and supportive. It is typical for younger students to become caught up in peer drama and childish squabbles — both of which impede learning. Bullying, in particular, is a very common issue in some schools. This prevents students from learning well and building positive relationships with their schoolmates.
The right school will have the proper systems, education, and supervision in place to help de-escalate peer conflicts, and promote healthy conflict resolution skills among students.
A good primary school will also have strict policies in place for what kind of behaviors they do not tolerate, and how these situations will be handled. You should also check if they have any mediation sessions, life skills classes, and other supportive measures that help their students with negative emotions and behaviors that can lead to conflict.
A balance between academic and emotional development
School is more than just checking off academic learning goals. It should also be a place where students can develop emotionally, as well as connect and interact with peers. This is a must for them to develop emotional, social, and leadership skills, even at a young age.
The best primary school will have a balance between a strong academic curriculum and social activities. This allows students to learn foundational lessons, as well as develop good life skills. This also encourages young learners to collaborate with other students, as well as pick up positive social and learning habits.
A school that combines both traditional and modern learning approaches is a great way to see if they provide equal opportunity for academic and emotional development for your child.
Individualized learning goals for students
As important as group learning is for this age, primary school students should still be assessed according to their individual learning strengths and needs. This means your chosen school should pay attention to each student’s learning goals.
This is important because it provides children with something to work towards while making sure they build upon their intrinsic strengths. This will also help them overcome any personal difficulties in learning and socialization.
Whether they want to master a skill or improve a behavior, teachers should help each student identify their goals, and outline the steps they need to take in order to meet that goal. In doing so, they help their students build up their ability to self-motivate and hold themselves accountable — two vital qualities for future success.
Passionate educators
Even young children can tell when someone does not enjoy doing their job. Someone disinterested and unmotivated is the last person you want as your child’s teacher. Every student deserves to be taught by someone who is enthusiastic about molding learners.
Why is this important? The simple answer is that children imitate the adult figures in their life, and that includes their teachers. If they sense that their teacher is apathetic to teaching, they will mimic that behavior in their learning. As a result, their curiosity and desire to learn will be curbed.
When observing a potential primary school, note the teachers’ approach to teaching and interacting with their class. Listen not only for a depth of knowledge but also for what they do to engage their students and build up their enthusiasm for learning.
A fun and intentional learning environment
There is plenty of room for fun in learning, which is especially important for young students, who easily lose interest and have shorter attention spans. Fun is therefore a vital factor in successful learning.
The best primary schools in the Philippines recognize this need and strive to create fun and intentional learning environments for their students. Look for bright, dynamic classrooms that appeal to their senses, and create a sense of curiosity in the learning process.
Keep an eye out too for interactive lessons, which help students focus and create the necessary connections for learning in their minds. Young children love learning and will do so with eagerness when they are in a pleasant, stimulating environment with engaging activities.
Even with daunting subjects, such an environment will encourage learning and discovery so that students are eager to master the lesson at hand.
Opportunities for critical thinking and problem solving
Children are naturally curious, and they need ample opportunity to satiate this curiosity in school. This is vital in building their ability to confront new situations and develop their critical thinking skills.
It is a must for your primary school to let the students try new things, do experiments in class, and discover fun ways to solve problems.
On school tours, pay attention if teachers ask open-ended questions, invite students to share opinions in class, and give them the freedom to work out problems on their own. This shows that they encourage exploration and focus on promoting student dialogue, rather than just simply lecture.
Key Takeaway
The right primary school in the Philippines will pave the way for your child to pursue excellence and success later in life. Today, there are many primary schools parents that can choose from — so it’s important to know the essential qualities to look out for during the evaluation process.
As a top international school in the Philippines, Reedley International School has all these essential qualities — and more — to provide top-quality education for your child’s holistic development. Message us today to learn more about how we mold happy, kind, and skilled students in our school!
