process of finding a good international school for your child can become overwhelming and difficult for parents before we even realise it. We spend hours browsing websites, making calls to schools, speaking to other parents, posting on online forums and groups. The term ‘international’ itself is has become diluted and often, the facilities offered by a school with the ‘international’ tag, do not live up to the hype. It is our responsibility to do our due diligence as parents and ask the right questions when we look for a school for our children.
The search for the right international school
When we were planning our move to Bangalore in January 2022, I had a fair idea of the schools to check out. I made a list of schools in North Bangalore after gathering a lot of information and set out making appointments with the schools. Some of the schools had a waitlist. A few of them couldn’t offer us appointments. And a few others did offer us an appointment. One among those was Trio World Academy. TRIO gave us an appointment to visit their campus within two days of reaching out.
First impressions
One of the first impressions that I got about the school was how warm, Welcoming and friendly the atmosphere was. The security team is quite thorough about checking and letting the right people into the campus with their compulsory verification process. We were asked to wait in the school lounge. We were served tea by the school staff who are warm and attentive too. The lounge showcases the school’s achievements and culture. One of the points that struck me out of the cultural makeup of the school was their commitment to student happiness and keeping the campus bully free.
We then got to meet the admissions officer in her beautiful office. The office has a montage of students from different countries who have passed out of the school over the years. The admissions officer explained both their philosophy and process of admissions. They explained how they try to deeply understand the child’s skills, strengths, motivations, interests, and challenges, so that they can be supported through their education. This further assured me of the student-centric nature of the school’s culture. We also got an opportunity to meet the school coordinators who explained to us about the academics of the school and gave us a clear overview of the international curriculum.
Understanding what the school has to offer
We were given a school tour after the meetings. The building we were initially in houses the administrative offices and the PYP block. We visited the secondary school block, which houses Middle and High School. The buildings overlook a vast football field filled with enthusiastic children in their PE class. The cafeteria is clean and smelled of delicious food. The school values, philosophy of the IB and guiding principles are prominently displayed all over the school and in the classrooms too. This was one of the requirements for me because my child comes from an IB background, and it was important for them to join a school that really understands the international school ethos and staffs have the International Mindedness.
Trial Days
For students who might be from a different curriculum, country or school culture, TRIO even has the option of Trial Days. During the trial days, the child gets to attend school just like a regular student and can have a real-life experience of what the school has to offer.
After feeling satisfied with the academic and sporting facilities, we requested for a meeting with the Head of School and a second meeting was arranged. Having approachable school leaders and teachers is another positive characteristic of the school that I noticed.
After meeting the Head of School, we decided to go ahead with scheduling an assessment for our child that would make the eligible for a trial day. While we were satisfied with our impression of the school thus far, we wanted to make use of the trial days option, when we were given the opportunity, before making a commitment. The written assessment and interview happened 10 days later, and our child was selected for the trial days.
The first day of the trial made me feel nervous, but not as nervous as my child joining a new school for sure, as we still had an option to change our mind.
One of the most striking points about the assigned trial day, was that the grade teachers were waiting for my child introduced themselves to them. My child was then taken to their classroom and introduced to a buddy. Their buddy was to stay with them through the trial days. The teachers put in a lot of effort to help my child feel included, understood and like they belong. This was during the middle of a busy school year and the school staff took all possibly steps to accommodate my child into the school.
My child loved the experience of trial days. They even tried out some of their favourite activities like football, and theatre, got a chance to read interesting books at the school library and even made some new friends. My child’s initial hesitation melted into acceptance, then confidence and then joy. And nothing mattered to us more than that, as parents.
I would recommend trial days for any families still trying to decide on a good international school for their child.
We decided to pay the fees. The process was smooth, even though we had moved during the middle of the year. Our continues to be a happy Trio student.
Written with Permission from – Ms Supriya Hedge , Mother of Lavnita
