Discovering the school you have chosen for your child is about to join a group can be a little disconcerting. It may be completely unexpected, or you may have known something like this was on the cards. Either way, you are likely to have lots of questions. Here we are going to try to answer the concerns that come up most frequently.
No. It is very likely that whatever made you choose the school in the first place are the same things that we value, and are what made us believe that your school was a good match for the Group. We want to understand your experiences and viewpoints, so the first thing we do is talk to the parents, children and staff to identify the areas where people would like to see change, and those that absolutely must not. This is the starting point for any development we undertake.
Absolutely not. They vary enormously in style, size and parent demographic. We have stately homes, town houses, and purpose-built classrooms. Some schools mainly feed grammar schools, others feed independent senior schools. They do share a common ethos, however, putting the needs of the children at the centre, and striving to create the best possible learning experience for them. Your child’s day-to-day experience is unlikely to change, although in some cases there are opportunities to make positive improvements quite quickly.
There are wide-ranging benefits to being a member of Wishford. Our central team provides expertise and support in the business aspects of running a school, leaving the Head and teaching staff free to focus on the education and experience of your child. Being part of a team also gives school staff access to lots of other educational experts across the Group, to share best practice and resources, and generate new ideas. It also provides extra financial stability, especially for smaller schools. Finally, being part of a group provides opportunities for inter-school events and competitions which our pupils love.
It is very unlikely that there will be a hike in fees, other than the normal annual inflationary increase. Our aim is to ensure the income from fees is wisely spent in the key areas, and we often find there are opportunities to cut costs and make those fees go further.
We are very experienced in supporting families of our new schools, and have structures in place to ensure parent voices are heard. In the first instance, when a school joins the group, there are events where you will have the opportunity to meet members of the Wishford Team, find out more about how we operate and what you can expect, and put questions to them. Of course, you can also speak to your own school staff, or you can contact Wishford directly.
