Four years ago, when Erica Patulli felt the environment at her local high school in Montreal was intimidating, her parents decided to look for an alternative.
“It was hard to concentrate in class,” says Ms. Patulli, 15, adding that her parents were concerned about classes that commonly had 30 students. Bullying was also a problem. “I'm very shy, and prone to get picked on.”
Although it was a last-minute decision, Ms. Patulli was accepted at St. George's School, where, despite initial worries, the transition was smooth.
“It was so different from what I was so used to,” says Ms. Patulli, who is entering Grade 10 this fall. “But I love it. The teachers are there for you all the time. It's interesting to learn from them.”
While some of her public high school friends have said St. George's small class-size creates extra academic pressure, Ms. Patulli brushes off that observation. “It depends on each person. But for me, it works. I'd recommend it.”
It's a perennial question that parents wrestle with: When is the best time to send your child to a private school?
Do you start in the early formative years, when your child is a veritable sponge, learning a host of skills? Or do you wait until your child has acquired the basics at public school and then enroll him or her in a private school's middle-school program?
Although the answer depends on a number of factors, such as your child's personality, family finances, and the quality of public education in your own community, most experts agree that the answer is, in an ideal world – the sooner the better.
“The right time is at the start of school,” says Gary O'Meara, headmaster at Halifax's Armbrae Academy, which has about 250 children from pre-kindergarten to Grade 12.
Mr. O'Meara believes that the most critical years in a child's education are the early ones. “Studies done in the last 15-20 years confirm that is when children's minds are most open to learning. That's when the biggest growth spurt occurs, intellectually; and when you look at the best years to have small classes, they should be the younger years,” he says, noting that schools such as Armbrae limit classes to 18 students up to Grade 5, 20 in Grade 6 and 22 from Grade 7 to 12.
The early years are particularly important, says Mr. O'Meara, because problems such as learning disabilities can be identified and remedied. “That's when you want a small class-size. And for the most part you won't get that in the public school system, in most jurisdictions.”
Elaine Danson, a Toronto-based educational consultant and former principal of Montcrest School, agrees that the early years are the most important time to start at a private school, assuming there are no financial restrictions. “You are developing reading, writing, and math skills, and the joy of learning. The joy of being in a school and being enriched, or being supported,” says Ms. Danson, who helps families work within the public school system and will also assist in selecting an appropriate private school.
“The earlier the better,” says Ms. Danson. “You don't really know what a young child is coming to school with. Are they coming with strong literary skills, or do they need some attention with reading? What kind of learners are they? I like the idea of stressing the early years to consolidate their skills and attitudes. Then you, as a parent, can make some decisions as your child gets older.”
