Recipe for a Good School

Although there is no single recipe for a good school, the main ingredients should always be:

A well balanced-curriculum that encourages active engagement in learning, that fully supports all aspects of the pupil’s development – intellectual, language, physical,  social and emotional.  The programme should be age-and-developmentally appropriate.

Good pupil / teacher ratio.   One of the most important elements of the educational process and at the heart of most parents’ concerns is the common-sense belief that smaller classes allow teachers to devote more personal attention to each student, thereby improving the educational experience.  Research supports this idea, as long as classes are kept very small, with a maximum of about 17 students. 

Dedicated and Experienced Teaching Staff.  Teaching staff should be qualified, registered teachers with a good balance between experienced mature teachers and younger teachers, who bring new ideas into the teaching mix.  Support staff should strive to maintain and improve the teaching and physical environment of the school.

Happy, Stimulating and Safe Environment  where children are encouraged to develop self esteem and self confidence; where challenging learning opportunities encourage children and prepare them to take part fully as an active and valued member of the community; where children are respected, listened to and valued for their individual differences and cultural beliefs and where children flourish and achieve their full potential.

What we must remember is that Primary education aims to equip children with the basic life skills and learning skills, particularly in the areas of reading, writing, numeracy and communication in their childhood. The knowledge acquired is relatively simple, and the focus is on developing pupils’ interest in learning and cultivating the other important aspects including character, attitude and confidence.

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As such, the most important condition for choosing a school is to have a good learning environment and inviting school life. It is because quality learning generates good results and is beneficial to the children’s future development.  Children can have more room for development if there is less stress at school.
At Mayfair International Primary School, all the boxes are ticked.  The pupils enjoy a well balanced curriculum taught by a dedicated teaching staff in bright and cheerful classrooms with an absolute maximum of fifteen pupils per class.

Class teachers are supported by assistants, where necessary, and subjects such as Spanish, Music, Swimming and PE are catered for by specialist teachers.

The school is set in beautiful gardens with mature trees providing shade, the pleasant surroundings creating an oasis of calm for both pupils and teachers.  The area is quiet and peaceful and the majority of classrooms open up directly into the playground.  The working environment is one which is conducive to good learning and pupils make full use of the computer suite, which is networked, equipped with Linux software and has broadband internet access.  

The school’s greatest asset, however, must be the indoor heated swimming pool where water skills and swimming lessons continue all year round.  A recent addition is the dining hall, which is equipped with a 50 inch flat screen and surround sound to serve its other purpose as a cinema for the after-school film club.
With the right mix and the right ingredients, there is no doubt that Mayfair Primary is more than just a ‘good’ school!

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