Half term is upon us. The school year is well and truly underway, and the rest of the academic year feels mapped out and predictable. The teething problems of settling into a new year group have abated, and children are in a routine of school, homework, sport and leisure time. For the first time since September, as a family you can take a deep breath and relax. You have a week of not having to rush to get children ready for school, out of the door, and chivvying to get homework done.
It is also a time to reflect on how your child is getting on in school. Are they thriving, engaged and excited about their learning? Are you confident that their school understands them, their passions and motivations? For many of us, we don’t have time to dwell on these things, and wonder what the point of thinking about these things would be anyway, because the school pathway seems the only option.
I have often found it curious how, with only insignificant differences, the school system in the UK is pretty much the same, wherever you happen to live or send your children to school. Schools are very predictable places, with classrooms, assemblies, dining halls, tutor groups, sports etc. Some schools place an emphasis on one aspect of the curriculum, others promote themselves as being all-rounders. Essentially, however, the structure is the same.
The main reason for this is because the system has evolved to meet the needs of the majority of children and all school operators. In varying degrees, children benefit from peer interaction and a broad curriculum, and schools can only operate economically by teaching classes with large groups of students, and practically by enforcing expectations regarding uniform, timetables, assemblies etc.
But not every child is the same. They do not all have the same needs, passions, strengths and vulnerabilities. For some children, the traditional school system will never be a perfect fit. At best it might be ‘fine’, at worst the system could be damaging, eroding a child’s sense of self, chipping away incrementally at their confidence. Sometimes it is only at school holidays that we can really sit back and question whether our child is blossoming, or merely ‘getting through’ school.
My experience over the past 25 years in education is that all parents want their children to flourish and to leave school equipped to tackle the next stage in life, whatever that may be. You would think that should be a given, but unfortunately it is not. Since the pandemic I have encountered more and more parents who worry that the school system is mismatched with their child’s needs and personality. Sometimes it’s difficult to put your finger on it, but your child may be disengaged, quiet or reluctant to discuss school. It is easy, at first, to put this down to hormonal teenage angst, but when should we begin to worry? When do these behaviours turn from being an inconvenience to a real concern? When do we start to wonder whether a different school might be the solution?
The problem is that difficulties tend to follow a child to a new school, because the system is essentially the same, and there seem to be no options available that really address this challenge. We founded Bristol Tutorial College precisely because we were encountering more and more families where the children were no longer thriving at school and parents were desperate to find a school where their child could reset, relax and rediscover the enthusiasm they had exhibited when younger.
We saw a need to talk to parents individually about what their child needed, and to fit the education around their child, rather than constantly trying to mould the child into the fixed format of the school. We saw a need to make education relevant and tailored towards a child’s interests, that would open doors for them in the future, help them find their passion, and crucially, ensure that their options were not limited in the process.
At Bristol Tutorial College we fit the schooling around the child, not the other way round. We firmly believe that excellent pastoral care is a prerequisite to making academic progress. We believe that a ‘one size fits’ all approach to education is outdated and unnecessary. We pride ourselves on providing bespoke programmes that will truly engage each and every child, allowing them to get the qualifications they need to make the next steps in their lives with success and confidence.
If this half term’s reflections make you wonder if your child is at the right school for them, please give us a call. Bristol Tutorial College is driven purely by a desire to give every child the opportunity to flourish, in their own individual way.
– Lucy Wayman
27th October 2024