We all want our child to go to the best possible - read academic - school, but not always does the best school provide the best fit. When your child gets accepted into a highly academic senior school, there is often no question of not taking the offer, as (admit) it is quite flattering and makes everyone look good.
But what if your child is part of a huge cohort in that very academic school and may not be – relatively that is – academic enough to be at the top of the tree there? When your child becomes the ‘fodder’ to the elite academic performers and make them look better. But being such fodder may not create the best academic outcome for your child.
Another problem arising in large, academic schools is that these schools can’t present their entire cohort to the top universities as it would simple not be possible/considered serious. Such large schools will normally support only the top 40 in a year group on that Oxbridge/Ivy League journey. This is a small fish in a big pond syndrome, where the small fish are being moved aside to make space for the big ones.
On the contrary, smaller schools may be less academically defining early on and allow a much bigger part of their VIth form cohort to apply to the top universities and support them in doing so, often with great results. Is being a big fish in a small pond the key to confidence and success? TalksforTeens spoke to Arabella Davies of the Educational Consultancy www.theirbestyears.com about all this. Listen to the podcast here. With special thanks to @Arabelladaviestby and @mayamoz.
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