Are you looking for a school to admit your child? After you’re done checking up on the curriculum, size of books, a variety of subjects, the professionalism of the staff, don’t think your job is over. Apart from the curriculum and qualification of teaching staff, there are other aspects which are very important to consider.
School Facilities which improve student outcomes
Research tells that the mental health of a student is affected a great deal by the facilities present in the surroundings of a classroom. A child’s behavior and ability to learn has a lot of influence on it. For effective learning and growth, safe, and healthy facilities are required for children in schools. These facilities can have a great influence on the performance of students as well as teachers in a school.
Less external noise:
A child can only learn and make the maximum out of a classroom lesson when there no other distraction. If a student can focus on the whole class lecture without any distraction, it means the class doesn’t have external noise or acoustic problems.
However, in the countries like UAE, the hustle and bustle of life may distract the students. Therefore, parents usually consider the educational institutions such as the best British schools in Dubai owing to peaceful environment. The reason is that low noise level helps improve the levels of student engagement in class, hence better learning.
Good ventilation system
The air we breathe in has a great impact on how we think and how we feel. It’s a very important physical facility to consider in a school. When you visit a school before choosing one, you must visit more than one classrooms and see how well the air quality feels when you breathe. There must be a proper ventilation system for all classes and corridors.
Apart from dust or smoke impacts from external air, there are pollutants emitted from stationery and office equipment. These pollutants add to the influence of air quality on the mental and physical health of students. All of this directly impacts the performance of students.
Lighting
There’s no alternative to natural light. But a building can utilize only so much daylight in a day because all classroom does not have an adequate amount of windows. Most schools and offices rely on Artificial light. But research says that natural lighting is important to keep motivation levels high among students. Sunlight is important for their health as well. Test scores are also said to improve with natural lighting.
Adequate Temperature
If classroom temperature is too cold or unbearably hot, children will not be comfortable physically. Unless they’re feeling comfortable, you cannot expect them to perform to their fullest potential. If it’s too hot outside, there should be an adequate cooling mechanism. If there’s too cold out there, there must be enough heating system to make students work and study comfortably.
Spacing in a classroom
A classroom when too crowded doesn’t provide enough breathing space to each student. It enables soft skills related activities as well when students have to work in groups and collaborate.
Twenty-First Century skills
Soft skills are also called twenty-first-century skills because of their importance in today’s world. Communication, critical thinking, and flexibility top the list of these important skills. A school must mention this in its learning objectives.
Without it, you must not send your child to such a school. All good schools are focusing on soft skills e.g. some of the best British schools in Dubai foster higher cooperation and empathy among culturally diverse students.
Conclusion:
The curriculum is the first thing parents look for, and understandably so. They’re willing to spend high tuition if teachers are qualified and the school is competitive. But there are not academic factors which are very crucial. People do not discuss these enough, but they have influence.
Remember! As a parent, you must look for a school which provides good physical facilities as well.
