'Finding the right school for my child is the most important decision I will make as a parent, a major emotional investment as well as a financial one,' says David Wellesley Wesley, director of the Independent Schools Show. 'School selection is no longer a question of which old school tie your father wore but rather which school best suits the child's disposition, needs and skills.'
Independent schools have faced many difficulties in recent decades — the Lloyd's crash, recessions, political opposition, rising costs and fees and so on. Some schools survived, others didn't. But the sector as a whole has emerged stronger than ever. Today, with ever more international interest in British private schools, marketing has become more important, as well as league tables and other measures of excellence.
Nowadays, a private education is more rounded; schools devote as many resources towards what they call 'pastoral care' and extracurricular activities as they do to excellence in the classroom. Gone are the days of the cold, impersonal school corridor and distant parents. Modern parents want to be engaged with their child's education from the start.
As a result, however, school selection has become an intensely stressful process. With so much at stake, families don't just want to sign a cheque and be done with it. They want to make sure they pick the right school, but they may not have time to research all the available options.
The Independent Schools Show was established to meet that growing demand. For two days, the show brings together 170 private schools from all over the country. It might sound exhausting
— all those pushy educationalists
— but it is a great help for making an informed decision quickly.
From the Spectator's Independent Schools supplement September 2013