According to former headmaster Julian Thomas, choosing a school through an adult filter rather than that of a child is one of the most common mistakes a parent can make. The need for a child to attend the ‘right’ school owes more to a need for social status than to a desire to see them content and fulfilled in an educational establishment that fits their unique character and needs. So too the desperate rush to join the tutored classes, or to ensure that hours of interview preparation have been completed. This amusing and compelling talk dispels many of the myths surrounding independent school entry, leaving us with the rather attractive thought that a child will get into the school that is most likely to suit them if we just let them get on with it.
About the speaker: Julian Thomas is an educationalist, speaker, adventurer and former Master of Wellington College.
About the Independent Schools Show: The London-based show brings together some 200 independent schools to help parents make the right decisions for their child. Scholato and the ISS are both subsidiaries of Next Step Education.