So here's a dilemma. A real tricky one.
With the countdown to our return to the UK having begun, a big question is the little one's education.
You may recall weeks spent last year applying for a place in a good Delhi school. The results were 50-50 - four successes and four failures. The little one got through in No.1 (Shri Ram School) and No. 2 (Springdales School) schools of South-West Delhi.
Though Springdales was closer to our place, Shri Ram was where friends from the little one's play-school were. More importantly, it was "the new Harvard" according to a Delhi-based American journalist.
In about two weeks' time, my girl would finish her tenure in the school. She has enjoyed going to the school and made many friends. Her class-teachers adore her and say "she is all her class-mates' best friend".
Each week, she has made sure she carries a "Show & Tell Bag" - sometimes two or three. And if a bag can't be arranged, she needs to know words related to the alphabet she is learning.
Drawing was her favourite activity when she started school. Learning new words - dozens of them every day - is the favourite activity now.
At dinner time, she loves to play the teacher. Mum belongs to the 'Girls' Team' and Dad belongs to the 'Boys' Team'. She chooses the alphabet. The teams come up with related words. You get a point - and occasionally, a high-five - for a right answer. For speaking without raising your hand, you lose a point.
The empty chairs on the dining table are occupied by invisible classmates. Mum and Dad can't hog the answers and credit. The invisible classmates need to have their moment of glory too.
It may just be a fear of the unknown, but her new school is likely to be one that doesn't fare too well in the League Tables.
The admission process in English schools is long over, and places in all the good schools allocated. Our application will be an In-Year Admission To Primary School - which generally results in a place in schools that still have places.
For us, it could very well be Thameside Primary School. The school is within minutes of our new accommodation and has where some of the little one's playmates from Caversham have enrolled.
The Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills or OFSTED reported in 2006 that Thameside is "situated in a relatively prosperous area of Caversham, but mainly serves pupils whose social conditions may not be favourable".
The report gave the school 3 (Satisfactory) on Overall Effectiveness, Achievements & Standards, The Quality of Provision and Leadership & Management. The only 2 (Good) it scored was on Personal Development & Well-being.
Not much has changed since then on any of those accounts. Earlier this year, The Guardian placed Thameside at 25th position (out of 34 Reading schools) in Average Point Score list and 20th on the Value Added Measure. The latter is a measure of the school's success in shaping up a pupil from Age 7 to Age 11.
A middle-of-the-table existence isn't totally bad, but then again it doesn't inspire much confidence either. The Guardian recommends we don't break into a sweat - "League tables show only part of the picture of a school. The Sats tests as a method for assessing schools have long been controversial ".
The newspaper's advice to the parents is to talk to other parents and seek more information before judging and choosing a school.
Unfortunately, we are not in a position to choose. And how Thameside shapes up the little one - and nurtures her desire to learn - is something we will have to wait and see.
As a friend remarked cheekily, "I look forward to hearing your views on moving the girl from a First-Rated School in Third World to a Third-Rated School in First World"!!
Showing posts with label shri ram school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shri ram school. Show all posts
17 September 2010
3 May 2010
This account makes no statement!
OK. I admit there hasn't been much activity on this blog. After 7 posts each in January and February, only 3 came through in March and 1 in April.
What is more shocking, though, is not even the most loyal of my readers (and there are quite a few of you) nudged me about it.
So, here is my revenge - a second post of the day. Aw'right, I admit that the first one only contained pictures from the recent trip along the Indian highways....but it is something!
The little one has been going to school for almost two weeks now. It should have been three, but she wasn't well all of last week. A chance visit to a swimming pool resulted in an infection that needed antibiotics.
Before you ask, yes, she is fine now. Dropped her off at school on my way to work.
In case I haven't mentioned already, the little one managed to secure a place in Shri Ram School. It is a good school and quite a few her mates from her Montessori are there as well. It is quite expensive too - 45,000 INR at the time of admission, and another 22,000 INR top-up fee as "school fees may be subject to change". That'll be almost 4000 INR a day, considering the little one will only have 20 days of school in the first term!
Quite pricey, some would say. But remember this is a different Delhi we are talking about. This kind of money doesn't make people break a sweat, definitely not at this school. Heck, some parents thought I was whingeing too much when the topic of top-up fee was brought up.
The notice to pay up had come in an Account Statement. No letter. No explanation. Just a request to pay the said amount by the said date.
It would have been helpful to know the reasons for a hike - considering it was a 50% hike. The inflation rate in India is currently 11%, so surely that wasn't the reason. And as far as I know, good teachers and educational material hasn't seen a sudden surge in prices.
The little one's school diary did mention that we should "let a child's imagination soar", but even she couldn't work up a reasonable explanation for this. Sorry, that was a bad joke!
As I mentioned above, fellow parents didn't an issue being made of just a missing explanation. We were all waiting in a queue outside the school uniform shop. The shop only had socks and t-shirts, but didn't have any shorts. Even the socks and t-shirts were in short supply.
Parents with other kids in the school said this had been happening for years. I wondered if this said something about the school's attitude towards parents' time. Nothing at all, a Mum emphatically told me. They are very good with feedback. They listen to everything you have to say.
I told her that accepting criticism is the best disarming tactic in the book. The key thing is whether something has been done to resolve the problem.
The Mum was startled by my petulance. They do a lot of good stuff. They reach out to less privileged kids. They allow kids from poorer backgrounds to study in the school. They have modern teaching methods and they are very good with kids. I told her this was impressive but it still didn't sort out the supply of uniforms or an explanation for a fee hike.
I got the look that is very familiar to me from my childhood days. You spend too much time asking needless questions. Why don't you spend some of that time studying properly and getting good marks? I hear you, Mum. I hear you.
I still don't know why the fee was raised. The little one, though, is very happy at the school. Every day, she is excited about going to school. Every day, she wants to play a bit longer at the school. Every day, she is reminiscing what she did at the school.
What is more shocking, though, is not even the most loyal of my readers (and there are quite a few of you) nudged me about it.
So, here is my revenge - a second post of the day. Aw'right, I admit that the first one only contained pictures from the recent trip along the Indian highways....but it is something!
The little one has been going to school for almost two weeks now. It should have been three, but she wasn't well all of last week. A chance visit to a swimming pool resulted in an infection that needed antibiotics.
Before you ask, yes, she is fine now. Dropped her off at school on my way to work.
In case I haven't mentioned already, the little one managed to secure a place in Shri Ram School. It is a good school and quite a few her mates from her Montessori are there as well. It is quite expensive too - 45,000 INR at the time of admission, and another 22,000 INR top-up fee as "school fees may be subject to change". That'll be almost 4000 INR a day, considering the little one will only have 20 days of school in the first term!
Quite pricey, some would say. But remember this is a different Delhi we are talking about. This kind of money doesn't make people break a sweat, definitely not at this school. Heck, some parents thought I was whingeing too much when the topic of top-up fee was brought up.
The notice to pay up had come in an Account Statement. No letter. No explanation. Just a request to pay the said amount by the said date.
It would have been helpful to know the reasons for a hike - considering it was a 50% hike. The inflation rate in India is currently 11%, so surely that wasn't the reason. And as far as I know, good teachers and educational material hasn't seen a sudden surge in prices.
The little one's school diary did mention that we should "let a child's imagination soar", but even she couldn't work up a reasonable explanation for this. Sorry, that was a bad joke!
As I mentioned above, fellow parents didn't an issue being made of just a missing explanation. We were all waiting in a queue outside the school uniform shop. The shop only had socks and t-shirts, but didn't have any shorts. Even the socks and t-shirts were in short supply.
Parents with other kids in the school said this had been happening for years. I wondered if this said something about the school's attitude towards parents' time. Nothing at all, a Mum emphatically told me. They are very good with feedback. They listen to everything you have to say.
I told her that accepting criticism is the best disarming tactic in the book. The key thing is whether something has been done to resolve the problem.
The Mum was startled by my petulance. They do a lot of good stuff. They reach out to less privileged kids. They allow kids from poorer backgrounds to study in the school. They have modern teaching methods and they are very good with kids. I told her this was impressive but it still didn't sort out the supply of uniforms or an explanation for a fee hike.
I got the look that is very familiar to me from my childhood days. You spend too much time asking needless questions. Why don't you spend some of that time studying properly and getting good marks? I hear you, Mum. I hear you.
I still don't know why the fee was raised. The little one, though, is very happy at the school. Every day, she is excited about going to school. Every day, she wants to play a bit longer at the school. Every day, she is reminiscing what she did at the school.
15 February 2010
An eventful week!
Been missing from this blog for almost a week now.
No, it isn't about flagging interest or lack of things to write on.
The school admission process has been tiring. The proof of residence. The certificates. The affidavits. Dealing with the guards, who are the new front-office of various schools. Dealing with semi-literate clerks, if you get through the gates. Dealing with more questions regarding our status - settled or newly-moved? Dealing with a process whereby schools offer and charge for a Prospectus only after admission has been secured.
During the last few months, friends have often asked "If you have to go in September, why endure all this hassle?" They have a point. Up until July, the little one will only have a month in the school. After that, another three months before it is time to pack up and leave.
But the dilemma for us has been - what if something changes in that time? Six months is a long time and she will lose a year, if something does change. And if nothing changes, four months in a Delhi school will set her on the path to GCSEs in four years' time!!
The school admissions process is also an effort to test ourselves. How do we rate as parents in India? Can we secure admission in a good school for our little one?
The final score stood thus. Four Successes. Four failures. The little one got through in No.1 (Shri Ram School) and No. 2 (Springdales School) schools of South-West Delhi. Carmel Convent and Tagore International were the other successes. After completing the formalities, which includes a 45,000 INR (£620) fee, the No. 1 school has taken her in.
In the meantime, her playschool has started the drill for a proper school. Parents have to leave their ward at the gate and the little one then works his/her way to the classroom. Teachers are around to lend a helping hand, but it's a big step in the journey to self-reliance for these young individuals.
The admissions process has been tough on the little one too. She hasn't got the attention and time she is used to. So, once the admission was sorted out, we planned to spend the entire weekend with her.
On Saturday, we took her to the The Garden of Five Senses in Saket. More familiar to locals as the Said-ul-Ajaib, the 20-acre park "was conceptualised to answer the city's need for leisure space for the public, for people to socialise and unwind" (Delhi Tourism website).
Inaugurated in 2003, it has become an important part of the greenery that defines Delhi. The park brings together people of different ages and backgrounds. Senior citizens meet each other for a game of Bingo and lunch. Young families meet here for picnic with friends. And those younger and single meet up for canoodling.
Call it the dilemma of being a parent, but I spent most of my time wondering which areas to avoid. Not with much success, though. Almost every route took us past couples wanting to avoid prying eyes. Thankfully, the look wasn't one of contempt but more of "what is this idiot thinking walking around with his wife and little kid?"
The visit was over with 30 minutes, and we made our way to Select City Walk mall in Saket - probably the kind of place where people with young families are seen more these days.
On Sunday, the little one was invited to a birthday party. After Saturday's misadventure, she was quite excited about being in company of other kids. Too much excitement, perhaps. One moment, she was dancing. The next moment, her nose was bleeding. She had jumped and fallen on the concrete floor.
The nose and the lips swelled up soon and she was in considerable pain. So, we took her to the Moolchand Hospital in Lajpat Nagar in south Delhi. After looking at her, the doctor concluded that it just a bad fall and not a fracture. He recommended the familiar cocktail of pain-killer, antibiotics and nose-drops.
This certainly wasn't how we wanted the weekend to end. But it was a better situation than the parents whose girl had put beads and thermocol balls in her ears. Or the girl who had put something up her nose and was having trouble breathing.
No, it isn't about flagging interest or lack of things to write on.
The school admission process has been tiring. The proof of residence. The certificates. The affidavits. Dealing with the guards, who are the new front-office of various schools. Dealing with semi-literate clerks, if you get through the gates. Dealing with more questions regarding our status - settled or newly-moved? Dealing with a process whereby schools offer and charge for a Prospectus only after admission has been secured.
During the last few months, friends have often asked "If you have to go in September, why endure all this hassle?" They have a point. Up until July, the little one will only have a month in the school. After that, another three months before it is time to pack up and leave.
But the dilemma for us has been - what if something changes in that time? Six months is a long time and she will lose a year, if something does change. And if nothing changes, four months in a Delhi school will set her on the path to GCSEs in four years' time!!
The school admissions process is also an effort to test ourselves. How do we rate as parents in India? Can we secure admission in a good school for our little one?
The final score stood thus. Four Successes. Four failures. The little one got through in No.1 (Shri Ram School) and No. 2 (Springdales School) schools of South-West Delhi. Carmel Convent and Tagore International were the other successes. After completing the formalities, which includes a 45,000 INR (£620) fee, the No. 1 school has taken her in.
In the meantime, her playschool has started the drill for a proper school. Parents have to leave their ward at the gate and the little one then works his/her way to the classroom. Teachers are around to lend a helping hand, but it's a big step in the journey to self-reliance for these young individuals.
The admissions process has been tough on the little one too. She hasn't got the attention and time she is used to. So, once the admission was sorted out, we planned to spend the entire weekend with her.
On Saturday, we took her to the The Garden of Five Senses in Saket. More familiar to locals as the Said-ul-Ajaib, the 20-acre park "was conceptualised to answer the city's need for leisure space for the public, for people to socialise and unwind" (Delhi Tourism website).
Inaugurated in 2003, it has become an important part of the greenery that defines Delhi. The park brings together people of different ages and backgrounds. Senior citizens meet each other for a game of Bingo and lunch. Young families meet here for picnic with friends. And those younger and single meet up for canoodling.
Call it the dilemma of being a parent, but I spent most of my time wondering which areas to avoid. Not with much success, though. Almost every route took us past couples wanting to avoid prying eyes. Thankfully, the look wasn't one of contempt but more of "what is this idiot thinking walking around with his wife and little kid?"
The visit was over with 30 minutes, and we made our way to Select City Walk mall in Saket - probably the kind of place where people with young families are seen more these days.
On Sunday, the little one was invited to a birthday party. After Saturday's misadventure, she was quite excited about being in company of other kids. Too much excitement, perhaps. One moment, she was dancing. The next moment, her nose was bleeding. She had jumped and fallen on the concrete floor.
The nose and the lips swelled up soon and she was in considerable pain. So, we took her to the Moolchand Hospital in Lajpat Nagar in south Delhi. After looking at her, the doctor concluded that it just a bad fall and not a fracture. He recommended the familiar cocktail of pain-killer, antibiotics and nose-drops.
This certainly wasn't how we wanted the weekend to end. But it was a better situation than the parents whose girl had put beads and thermocol balls in her ears. Or the girl who had put something up her nose and was having trouble breathing.
2 February 2010
Is Shri Ram School the new Harvard?
One of the talking points at work on Monday was Bad of luck, parents - an article written by Kate Darnton.
"It is just a rant from a woman unable to get her kids into Shri Ram School," someone said. "What exactly is she trying to say? That the guards at Shri Ram School didn't let her past the gate and that her emails to the school were ignored," someone else remarked.
Some were aghast that the article had found a place of prominence on the Op-Ed page of The Hindustan Times - one of the biggest newspapers in Delhi. This is not even proper journalism. Some Googled to find out who this woman was. Looks like she works for the Boston Globe.
The reason for all this excitement was the release of shortlist for admission to Delhi schools. Actually, that should be admission to Delhi's private schools.
The process that kicked off nearly six weeks - and involved filling up forms, writing essays, arranging legal documents and engaging in informal interactions about parenting and education - had come to fruition.
Kate Darnton's point was straight-forward. If you live in South Delhi, you constantly hear of just two schools - Vasant Valley and Shri Ram School. Both of these adhere to modern teaching methods, focus on all-round development of children and aren't shy (i.e., dismissive) of taking in special needs children.
There's Sanskriti too, but it is a school run by spouses of top government officials, for the kids of top government officials or those high enough in the echelons of power. And then there are long-standing successes like Delhi Public School and Modern School - whose primary focus is academic success.
Kate's argument was that you had a better chance of getting into Harvard than in Shri Ram School - "Over the past few weeks, the school’s website has listed 1,575 three-year-old candidates competing for 112 spots, including 40 spots reserved for the EWS (‘Economically Weaker Section’), staff, and management. With only 72 remaining seats, that leaves each regular candidate a 4.7 per cent chance of getting in. Last year’s acceptance rate at Harvard College was 7.1 per cent".
It is a day of elation and self-congratulation for a select few. A day of disappointment and self-doubt for many."
I am not sure about the critics of Kate's piece, but I was travelling in the same boat as her.
Soon after getting into work, I started checking the websites of the various schools we had applied to. Vasant Valley? Yippee, I can see a matching name. Hang on, the surname doesn't match. And the mother's name is different too. DPS Vasant Kunj? No matching name there. Banyan Tree School? No matching name there either.
Then the phone rang. It was my better half. I am just outside Modern School. The little one's name isn't there. And Springdales School won't release their list until 6 February.
Suddenly, a glimmer of hope. I can see the right child/mother name combination on the shortlist for Tagore International School. Not our first choice, but it is an established educational institution.
What about Shri Ram School? I was still on the phone with my wife. They will be releasing the list around 4.00 in the evening - as they want to put it out on web at the same time as school's notice-board.
So that is what our six-week effort had come to. Four failures. One Success. Two suspended animations.
It most certainly wasn't a good beginning to the week. Like Kate, we had eavesdropped into numerous conversations on strategies and connections that may be brought to use to secure admission into Vasant Valley or Shri Ram School. Like her, we didn't get past the guards in many places. Like her, we spent considerable effort in making the right impression on the schools we applied to.
Thankfully, the evening brought some cheer to us. When Shri Ram School made its list of successful candidates online, it had our little one's name in it. The list didn't have the parents' name, so we can't be 100% sure - but then one has to be really unlucky to have another child by the same name, applying to the same school and being successful.
A letter from the school should be in the post soon, settling this doubt. After that, the school needs to verify the documents - including an affidavit that the little one is our first and a girl child - and the fee to be paid.
Fingers crossed and hope there are no nasty surprises lurking around the corner!!
"It is just a rant from a woman unable to get her kids into Shri Ram School," someone said. "What exactly is she trying to say? That the guards at Shri Ram School didn't let her past the gate and that her emails to the school were ignored," someone else remarked.
Some were aghast that the article had found a place of prominence on the Op-Ed page of The Hindustan Times - one of the biggest newspapers in Delhi. This is not even proper journalism. Some Googled to find out who this woman was. Looks like she works for the Boston Globe.
The reason for all this excitement was the release of shortlist for admission to Delhi schools. Actually, that should be admission to Delhi's private schools.
The process that kicked off nearly six weeks - and involved filling up forms, writing essays, arranging legal documents and engaging in informal interactions about parenting and education - had come to fruition.
Kate Darnton's point was straight-forward. If you live in South Delhi, you constantly hear of just two schools - Vasant Valley and Shri Ram School. Both of these adhere to modern teaching methods, focus on all-round development of children and aren't shy (i.e., dismissive) of taking in special needs children.
There's Sanskriti too, but it is a school run by spouses of top government officials, for the kids of top government officials or those high enough in the echelons of power. And then there are long-standing successes like Delhi Public School and Modern School - whose primary focus is academic success.
Kate's argument was that you had a better chance of getting into Harvard than in Shri Ram School - "Over the past few weeks, the school’s website has listed 1,575 three-year-old candidates competing for 112 spots, including 40 spots reserved for the EWS (‘Economically Weaker Section’), staff, and management. With only 72 remaining seats, that leaves each regular candidate a 4.7 per cent chance of getting in. Last year’s acceptance rate at Harvard College was 7.1 per cent".
It is a day of elation and self-congratulation for a select few. A day of disappointment and self-doubt for many."
I am not sure about the critics of Kate's piece, but I was travelling in the same boat as her.
Soon after getting into work, I started checking the websites of the various schools we had applied to. Vasant Valley? Yippee, I can see a matching name. Hang on, the surname doesn't match. And the mother's name is different too. DPS Vasant Kunj? No matching name there. Banyan Tree School? No matching name there either.
Then the phone rang. It was my better half. I am just outside Modern School. The little one's name isn't there. And Springdales School won't release their list until 6 February.
Suddenly, a glimmer of hope. I can see the right child/mother name combination on the shortlist for Tagore International School. Not our first choice, but it is an established educational institution.
What about Shri Ram School? I was still on the phone with my wife. They will be releasing the list around 4.00 in the evening - as they want to put it out on web at the same time as school's notice-board.
So that is what our six-week effort had come to. Four failures. One Success. Two suspended animations.
It most certainly wasn't a good beginning to the week. Like Kate, we had eavesdropped into numerous conversations on strategies and connections that may be brought to use to secure admission into Vasant Valley or Shri Ram School. Like her, we didn't get past the guards in many places. Like her, we spent considerable effort in making the right impression on the schools we applied to.
Thankfully, the evening brought some cheer to us. When Shri Ram School made its list of successful candidates online, it had our little one's name in it. The list didn't have the parents' name, so we can't be 100% sure - but then one has to be really unlucky to have another child by the same name, applying to the same school and being successful.
A letter from the school should be in the post soon, settling this doubt. After that, the school needs to verify the documents - including an affidavit that the little one is our first and a girl child - and the fee to be paid.
Fingers crossed and hope there are no nasty surprises lurking around the corner!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)