A JOURNEY TO LEARNING : EDUCATION ACROSS THE BORDER
EDUCATION
A JOURNEY TO LEARNING : EDUCATION ACROSS THE BORDER
The thought of moving house to guarantee a better education for your child may sound a little extreme , and while we ’ re not suggesting you leap across the pond and move to a different country altogether , we are proposing a gentle hop across the border to one of Kent ’ s neighbouring counties , which are jam-packed with excellent educational establishments .
Of course , you want your child to have the best start in life , which includes sending them to the best school possible and while we ’ ve already established that Kent plays host to a huge amount of Ofsted-rated outstanding primary and secondary schools , this also means they are incredibly popular which can lead to catchment-area woes .
In order to decide which pupils get their first , second or third choice of school , the education authority look at geography - either a defined region known as a catchment area or the distance a child lives from the school . Each year is different as it depends on the number of parents scrambling for each place , but if you ’ re outside the catchment area or are too far away , the chances are you will be scratched off the list . It ’ s not a huge surprise then that faced with the risk of missing out , many parents look at moving home , or applying for a place at boarding school . You may have your heart set on a Kentish education for your child – and we understand exactly why – but broaden your search and you ’ ll be pleasantly surprised at what you find .
If you think where you live may scupper the chances of your child attending their first-choice school , there is no harm in looking a little further afield . Sussex , Surrey , Essex and London have a wealth of brilliant schools that might suit your child or your circumstances as well , or possibly even better , than the initial school you had your eye on ; it ’ s easy to get blindsided when you first begin your search , so it ’ s a great idea to keep an open mind .
183 www . insidekent . co . uk •