Figure 1.--There are a number of reasons that prep schools generally produce excellent results. One of the most important is small class size and the individual attention afforded by small classes.
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Figure 1.--There are a number of reasons that prep schools generally produce excellent results. One of the most important is small class size and the individual attention afforded by small classes. |
The major advantage offered by prep schools is individual attention. Many parents choose independent education because of the individual attention afforded to the children. Most prep schools stress that they view every child as an individual and seek to meet each child's individual needs. Often teachers in the state sector would like to do this, but large class sizes often make this impossible. Small class sizes in prep schools make this much more feasible. Terrington tells paremts, "... it is our privlige to develop to the fullest extent all the talents and abilities he or she possesses." Wells House in Worcestershire aims to "help develop children to make the best use of their ability, whether great or small. It is with this in mind that all children are considered as individuals. Their interests and views are studied and sought, their performance assessed individually, and their varying needs catered for."
The major advantage offered by prep schools is individual attention. Many parents choose independent education because of the individual attention afforded to the children. Most prep schools stress that they view every child as an individual and seek to meet each child's individual needs. The only way to do this of course is to have a class small enough that there is time for each child.
Often teachers in the state sector would like to do this, but large class sizes often make this impossible. Small class sizes in prep schools make this much more feasible. Terrington tells paremts, "... it is our privlige to develop to the fullest extent all the talents and abilities he or she possesses." Wells House in Worcestershire aims to "help develop children to make the best use of their ability, whether great or small. It is with this in mind that all children are considered as individuals. Their interests and views are studied and sought, their performance assessed individually, and their varying needs catered for." This of course varied from school to school. Some schools had especially small classes while other schools had classes only marginally below that of classes in the state sector.
Assessing a school program can be complicated. One easily observable indicator of a school proogram is class size. Small classes almost guarantee that a child will receive individual attention. Unfortunately class size is the most important component of school costs. Smaller classes require more teachers. Thus the great bulk of the operating cost at any school are tied to teacher salaries. No other single factor that schools can control correlates more with education quality and student performance than class size. This is especially the case for the younger children who are learning basic skills. Adults too often forget that learning to read as well as other basic skills can be an extrodinarily difficult undertaking for many children.
Prep schools tend to have small classes accross the board, both in the junior and senior forms. This meant that there was plenty of time for hands on interaction with the younger children. This was especially important because they were working on their basic literacy and numercy skills. Educators debate many issues, but one aspect on which there is general agreement is the importance of individual attention in the early primary years. Here there was rarely distractive disruptive behavior so the teachers could devote their energies to actual taching. In small classes it is rare for struggling students to be left behind. The senior forms were also generally small which meant that each student could be broyght out in class discussions or have the opportunity to ask questions. Small classes also meant tht teachers could give writing assignments nd have the time to correct tghe papers in detail and make suggestions.
