The Independent School Offers a Well Rounded Education in a Nurturing Environment

An independent school is free from any financial or governing support from local or national government resources. It receives its financial support from tuition, endowments and gifts. A board of directors is the governing body of this type of educational institution which offers education mainly at the primary and secondary school level.

The independent school is free to create their own mission statement according to what the board of directors feels is the main focus of the school. The mission statements will vary for the schools but a shared goal for all is to provide a safe educational community where a love of learning is nurtured. There is typically an emphasis on building a strong foundation in the basics where an all around education is deemed important.

In the UK the self-regulating schools are not required to follow the national curriculum but their course material must prepare the students towards passing the standardized public exams. More schools in Britain are offering the International Baccalaureate. Independent schools tend to add more into the curriculum especially with a focus on the creative and performing arts. The visual arts, foreign languages, music, computer skills, research skills, leadership skills, physical fitness and critical thinking skills are all considered important components for a strong educational foundation.

Most of the students attending these schools are day students. Some however choose to board to save on the time and money commuting between the educational institution and home. When both parents are employed the child has the option of boarding weekly and going home on weekends. Boarding schools are located both in the inner city as well as rural environment. Living on site helps to make new friendships and learning to live together.

Since there is little if any commuting time during the week for boarders students have more time to join in sports, an orchestra or a play for instance. There are innovative courses such as orienteering, Chinese and arts and crafts. The independent educational institution has the freedom to offer a diversity of educational programs.

The schools have the freedom to experiment and teach in innovative ways since they are free from the bureaucracy of the traditional educational authorities. Many teachers prefer to teach in these schools since there is a strong focus on discipline. Teachers can concentrate on teaching rather than becoming involved in behavioral issues as tends to be the case in non-independent schools.

When parents make the commitment to financially invest in their child's education it indicates that parents are willing to work together with the school in partnership. Teachers also enjoy smaller class sizes which gives them more time to prepare and grade students' work. The students receive a lot more one on one instruction from their teachers.

The independent school basically owns and governs itself. The nature of the institution can vary where some are military schools and others are boarding schools. The legal guardians may feel that their child's needs include discipline and independent living. When parents work closely with the schools they will ascertain the best schools that come within their financial means for the child's educational development.

Most children have to leave their school after grade 8 to go to a secondary school. If you are thinking of sending your child to a Toronto private school, consider sending them to one that offers programs from pre-K to grade 12 instead of one that would require you to find a separate Toronto independent high school when they get to grade 9.