Many parents remain confused about how their child is doing at school; with the best of intentions, a short appointment at a parents’ evening and a standard school report cannot give them the full picture. To make informed decisions about their child’s future, and to be sure they are aiming for the senior school that will best suit them, parents need to know how their child is doing in reading, writing and maths compared to others on a national basis. How are they doing in relation to their ability? And if they are not reaching their full potential at school, why not?
This is where a good educational consultant can help, particularly by assessing academic potential. This means finding out where a child sits in relation to the rest of their national cohort and whether they are already performing to the best of their natural ability. For example, JK Educate’s unique assessments evaluate a child in more depth than is feasible in a classroom setting. They test both potential and actual ability level and these levels are discussed in a lengthy feedback session with parents. This builds the solid foundation for future decisions, as such precise and accurate results prove invaluable in shaping a child’s future learning and identifying the best school for them.
It is often possible after an assessment to simply reassure parents and celebrate the fact that their child is already working to the best of their ability. In some cases, however, a child may not be reaching their full potential or may need additional support in preparing for examinations. Further support such as tutoring might then be recommended to help the child attain their best possible performance. In either case, the knowledge from an assessment is empowering and helps parents make decisions in the child’s best interests.
Here’s what one parent remarked after a recent academic assessment:
“We found the in-depth assessment on our son most valuable in understanding both his current position and his potential. It was also very enjoyable to hear his comments from the interview and his impressive descriptive story writing. The assessment has reinforced what we suspected, while also throwing up a few surprises.”
An academic assessment helps parents who are unsure whether their child needs any extra support or simply unclear whether their child is doing as well as they could be at school.
It also helps many parents who are unsure which senior schools they should be considering. If we know a child would struggle to keep up with the academic standards of a highly selective school and would therefore not thrive there, we never recommend tutoring to try and attain a place there against the odds. The ideal school for an individual child is not necessarily the school that everyone else says is the best. In summary, an assessment takes the guesswork out of meeting a child’s education needs.
