Could you give me some advice on how you can test for this sort of 'resilience to pressure'?

MrsMc

This discussion was created from comments split from: Hello my name is Hannah and I'm an educational psychologist.

MrsMc

Hello Hannah,
In our catchment area we have the choice of 2 secondary schools for our son, and they couldn't be more different! One is an Academy which is very strict, gives lots of homework and expects very high standards (e.g. detention if you don't meet your targets in classwork, homework and tests; immaculate uniform; sanctions for every imaginable misdemeanor). The other is a Faith school which is very nurturing and supportive and caring and aims to run the school like a big family. One is very much 'stick' and the other 'carrot'! Ofsted review the first school as 'outstanding' and it gets better academic results, but at the second the children are happier (Ofsted Parent View results).

My son is bright and in top sets at primary, so does have academic potential and the first school is therefore attractive in that I believe it will push him further. However, I am unsure how to assess how he would respond to pressure, which some parents there report their children struggling with. He has had a very happy and carefree life thus far and loves school!

Could you give me some advice please on how you can test for this sort of 'resilience to pressure' or what clues I might look for in him? What aspects of personality might determine this? After all, one child's 'stress' might be another's 'challenge'. With your professional insight, do you have a personal opinion as to which of the 2 approaches is better in general for the children?

Many thanks indeed.

EducationalPsychologist

Hi Mrs Mc,
Choosing a secondary school is such a difficult decision but one that only parents can make. There isn't a way of 'testing' whether a child will cope in a particular school. Children are all individual and therefore will suit different learning environments. I would recommend visiting both schools with your son and thinking about the vibe you get as well as how your son finds them. You may find the more academic school is also nurturing. You may find the nurturing school also enables students to achieve well. Speak to staff at both schools, ask them how they support children feeling under pressure and how they extend learning for more able pupils. The answers should be helpful in informing your decision making. Best of luck!