Previously we discussed 4 reasons why you should NOT choose a day school that is located far from home. Here is a counter view written by our guest author on when it makes sense to select a school close to home.
Choose a far off school when there is unmatched learning advantage: We are sending our children to school for learning and growing in to smart and responsible human beings. If the schools located in your proximity do not offer the best learning experience then we have no choice but to look outside. We must not compromise on the primary objective of why we are sending our kids to schools. However, please make sure that you are absolutely certain about the quality of education being offered in the far off school. Please refer to our other blog entries on how to find out the “REAL” quality of schools.
Choose a far off school when your kids are in high school: Class 8 and above means that your kids are growing up and can take care of themselves. They will be able to better take care of themselves and manage their daily commute. Also, they are now smart and responsible enough to be trusted with their daily commute.
Choose a far off school when all the co-curricular activities can be availed in your neighbourhood: We have mentioned that school has a role to play beyond pure class room education. Schools must encourage and enable students to develop diverse interests and skills e.g. sports, music, craft etc. Thus, a far off school will be a bottleneck.
However, if you can avail these facilities close to your home then you can choose a far off school without sacrificing on the extra curricular activities.
Hope the counter view was useful. We will continue to invite experts to argue from both sides so that you always get the full picture.