Discipline & Contact with Parents

All schools have rules. The prospectus and your visit should give you some idea of the regime. You need to be clear in your own mind what sort of discipline you approve of and to what kind of regime your child will best respond.

Ask the head about the rules and the reasons for them. What are the usual punishments? What are regarded as the more serious offences and what are the punishments for these? Legislation in 1998 outlawed the use of corporal punishment in independent schools, as was already the case in the state sector. Will you be contacted if your child gets into trouble? What is the school's attitude to drinking, smoking, or drugs abuse? Ask if the school has prefects or monitors, what are their responsibilities and how are they appointed.

You should ask about how the school keeps parents informed of their child's progress and of developments and events. How frequently do parents receive written reports on children's progress? Are there regular newsletters to parents? Are there parents' evenings at which you can discuss your child's work with teachers? How often are they held? Is there a parents' or friends' association? Are there any parents on the governing body?

Paying for an independent education does not give you the right to interfere in the professional running of the school. But you should receive a regular supply of important information and you should know what channels to use if you are worried about anything.

All schools must now have a published complaints procedure. It is very unlikely that you will have to invoke it, but you may wish to see it. For more information on complaints and complaints procedures, click here.