Schools in NIgeria

Learn all you need to know about schools in Nigeria,

Understanding and Responding To Your Child’s Needs

Mr and Mrs Igwe are busy parents who have businesses that take most of their time. In their capacity they provide everything their kids need for upkeep, although they have a nanny who does the house chores, takes the kids to and fro school with their driver, helps with their assignments and organizes the kids’ time table for daily activities.

Image Credit: 123rf.com

Mrs Igwe comes back from work by 5pm everyday while her husbands comes back usually late because of traffic and distance of work from home, although he thought to live away from home closer to work but on a second thought wanted to bond with his family everyday, of course he tried paying a price but little did he know it wasn’t enough for both Sarah and Kingston his kids not until Sarah got really ill and they discovered it was pneumonia and all this while the nanny thought she was doing the kids a favour by allowing them always swim in the pool during the afternoons after they got back from school.

In this case Mr and Mrs Igwe lacked the knowledge of a basic need of healthcare and a physical need of providing warm clothes at the point of cold or were rather nonchalant about it because they believed the nanny could handle it all. This act is referred to as neglect, they failed to reach part of the physical and medical needs but had passed the basic needs by sending their kids to school and definitely using

SchoolsCompass as an aid to search for schools based on their budget, location, extra-curricular activities and availability of facilities they wanted.

Image Credit: Schools Compass

They also provided emotional needs which included love, they went outings during weekends, bought the kids toys,

Image Credit: Colour Box

provided them with a supportive environment, allowed them to feel relaxed around to the extent Kingston deliberately sleeps off in the middle of her parents on their bed, they had discussion moments on a round table, making eye contacts regularly with the kids especially during communications, played with them too therefore making the kids have a sense of belonging.

Image Creedit: thearenaweely.myschoolarena

You will have to study your child to know their likes and dislikes. When they are moody, be nice enough to know what the problem is, ask them questions constantly to be sure they are fine, make them always smile, when they are happy you feel satisfaction within you.

Sometimes they may gift you natural flowers, a drawing or making you something nice, cook for you surprisingly, lay your bed, prepare a warm water bath for you. Kindly do well to appreciate them when they do these little things like this that matter, make them see how much you cherished their gifts and surprises.

During discussions, accept some or all of their ideas, minimize the way you press your gadgets around them and concentrate on them, watch family shows and movies together. Lastly, never you shun your child when he/she is talking, to avoid them thinking less of themselves.

School Refusal; A Defect To Formal Education.

One without education is like one struggling to understand the meaning of life. Education is a process of understanding your environment as it builds opinions and has points of view on things in life. It is an enlightening experience.

 

 

Just as trees have branches, education is not left out on this, it consists of three types which include:

 

Image Credit: Platform College.

Informal education that deals with learning in a homely environment via means that are easily accessible, such as to prepare food, arrange the home, drive a car, learn history through stories, getting information from the internet, library, life experiences, family and friends.

Image Credit: Non-formal Education

Non-Formal education is typically an adult learning technique often referred to as community education, second chance education or lifelong education.

Image Credit: Imaad Schools Lekki

Finally, the Formal education which is the type of education practised within the four (4) walls of Schools where both writing, electronic and practical materials are the means of passing out information to students.

School is an institution where instructions are given to students and they learn concepts and skills more so it helps students interact/network with other students socially, academically and emotionally. Time management is being learned here which include deadlines and prioritizing.

 

However, children at their tender age are usually sent to the creche or pre-nursery classes to start up, but as time will tell most children begin to have Didaskaleinophobia which is the fear to attend school.

Image Credit: Familysparks

Many parents have encountered this with their kids and even schools with their pupils who may hang around outside classrooms while the lessons are going on. Many will say that school is not for everyone but before we conclude this theory, how about we look into what dreaded the child in the first instance from school.

 

The holiday would soon round up, some kids obviously would have been giving you signs why they don’t feel they should resume classes.

Back to school struggle is indeed something to consider. Your child may not want to go back or attend school for some reasons, which is the duty of parents to figure out why and quickly look out for solutions.

Image Credit: cfchildren.org

Discussing these problems with your kids you have to be understanding, patient and kind towards them, if you really need accurate answers. Just so you know, they are a list of problems that can lead to such occurrence which includes constant absence from school based on parents decision, in this case the child sees the school as a lesser priority and begins to lose interest. Illness is another factor to consider, it could be a psychological effect on the child. Other things to consider are prolonged holidays and a list of critical issues to be addressed such as:

Changing school

Perhaps, a child may have had emotional values attached to the previous school and may find it difficult to cope with another.

Fear of failure

Having thought of themselves low, a child may think he is not capable of achieving results thereby resolving to depression, humiliation or inferiority.

Overprotective parents

Many parents think that by acting in such manner would scare a child but then, he/she develops a coping mechanism unexpectedly in an unruly manner.

Sexual harassment by other students or teachers

Your kids may find it difficult to share this topic with you depending on how you communicate with them and may feel that the best way to avoid this is by staying away from school.

Difficult relationships with teachers

Honestly, we all had at least one teacher who we could not easily flow with, for the fact that we escaped this trial doesn’t mean that some kids would, because our abilities to go through challenges are quite different.

Bullying or Peer teasing

Some arrogant children would out of disrespect, mock or tease their colleagues if possible beat them.

Conflict

Some kids may have issues among their peers in school and out of threats or shame, they would rather avoid attending school.

 

Solutions to the above listed are not far-fetched as long as you can detect the problem.

Apply parent to child therapy where you coach your child, persuade and give them reasons why they should continue to learn. An example is telling them that the certification they acquire would be a plus for them during job search. Create time to go to the school to see and hear for yourself from school teachers/instructors what exactly may be your child’s problem or relay what you discovered with them if it is not confidential so they can help you monitor the child and make him/her perform actual activities in a more comfortable space. Eventually, if the issue is beyond control, then you should take the child to a therapist or ask for help except otherwise and health issues should be treated medically as soon as possible.

Here at SchoolsCompass our concern is not only based on guiding you on what school to take your kids to but the well being of your child. We would always want to assist you both in words here on the blog and guide you through school-search here.

What do you do when your school’s online reputation is at stake?

For every four parents that drop a review about your school, 96 parents have gone past without saying a word. Such parents deserve ‘accolades’ for stopping by.

Ruby Newell-Legner in her book, “Understanding Customers”, indicates that 96% of customers do not make complaints and out of those, 91% will not visit your business again

Let me start this piece on a controversial note – The truth is that people are too busy minding their businesses, people don’t care about your business, yes your school. For every four parents that drop a review about your  school, 96 parents have gone past without saying a word. Such parents deserve ‘accolades’ for stopping by.

What is being said about your school is a different kettle of fish. If the review is a 5 star one, it is a testimony that you have done well and such parent is pleased with your educational services. All you need to do is just to keep up the good work. However, if such review is damaging and hurtful, the natural response is to frantically look for ‘delete’ button. This is a very bad approach – resist the urge!

Rather, consider the following  truths about negative reviews

  1. The parent (reviewer) still cares about your business: Even if you have reasons to believe the review is written out of prejudice (maybe from a competitor). For him/her to leave his/her business and mind yours, be generous enough to thank such parent in your heart of hearts for minding your business.
  2. It is not about you but your business. It is a good practice to always separate yourself from your business – don’t take it personally. Parents spreading the news about your school is great marketing only if you know what to do with it.
  3. It is assessment time: As an educator, you know (and tell your students) that having ‘F’ grade does not mean the student is doomed and can not make ‘A’ in subsequent assessments. If this philosophy is good for your students/pupils, then it is also applicable to you (sorry, your school)
  4. Bad Reviews are not bad business:  Accept the fact that your school cannot be suitable for every parent and it is not a bad thing. Most genuine negative reviews are as a result mismatched expectations on the part of the reviewers, in this case, parents.
  5. Bad reviews make good reviews look authentic and build credibility: In my article 5 ways to avoid ‘avoidable bad reviews for your school, I mentioned that prospective parents look out for negative things about your school to see if they are things they relatively consider ‘normal’. And if they find none, it could be a ‘red flag. Negative reviews are good for your brand because they show that all of your reviews are real.

Turn Lemons to Lemonade now that your school is on parents’ radars.

If you find your school a victim of a bad review, just know that more eyeballs are on your school as it is in the spotlight. (Read my article, importance of online reviews to your enrollment strategy for more on this). Take this as an opportunity to further market your school to prospective parents who want to read the ‘bad’ about your school for free. And how do you achieve this? Look for a cold drink (not beer), sit back, and take the following 5 actions:

  • Pause and evaluate the review: For the fact that you are aware of the review and you respond proactively, you can still salvage the situation.  Study the review to determine what to do-  Is it an isolated case or it affects other parents? Gauge the level of damage this could potentially cause- use your best judgement but do not exaggerate it.                                                                                                                                                                           Your findings will determine your next line of action. In some instances, you just keep your responses short, thank the parent, and move on. In some extreme cases, you explain your side of the story with facts and figures in a polite but non-defensive way
  • Respond publicly if you have to: Public replies provide an opportunity to show other parents reading the reviews that you care enough to try and remedy the situation. It shows you respect parents and you have nothing to hide from anybody. Apologize publicly and offer incentives if you need to, we all make mistakes. In drafting your response, follow these best practices;
    1. Call the reviewer by the first name with appropriate title eg Dear Chief Alex if you know it.
    2. Even with the worst of reviews, thank the reviewer for deeming it fit to express herself
    3. Don’t lash out. Even if you’re right, it won’t end in your favour
    4. Use the same logic you would apply if she walks in to your office to express same reservations
    5. Don’t respond while you’re angry. It won’t end well
    6. Present your case – make it as short as possible but without loosing the key info
    7. Address legitimate concerns only- don’t digress
    8. Don’t get personal.
    9. Be nice and keep things professional

     

  • Gather more positive review to neutralize the negative ones: With this, you are simply saying the obvious and reality that it is impossible to please everyone and this is an isolated case. Get help in doing this by reading 11 ways to gather online reviews for your school
  • Remove the review if it is absolutely necessary but resist the temptation of pressing charges: In most cases, there is no need to remove this because negative reviews give authority to positive ones. A sprinkle of them is good for your brand. Parents are your direct market, dragging them to courts is likely to incur other parents’ grievances in solidarity. There is almost no justification for that – Even if you win the case, public opinion may not favour your school.
  • Check yourself and make adjustments: Few days after Dana Air license was restored after the crash in 2012, I intentionally flew it. Guess what? I got the best air treatment and felt safer than ever before!  Do you know that Queen’s college got a brand new water treatment after the cholera outbreak incident of last year and the chances of it happening again are slimmer than where it never happened? There is no smoke without fire. It is probably time for self-assessment.

Lastly, after you’ve addressed a problem and the parent is once again satisfied, you can ask for an update to the review to reflect your efforts. She might update it or take it down. Leave it up to her. If she does, wonderful! If not, at least your school is on record as having replied to the parent/reviewer.

Do you know about our ‘Stop Enrollment Leak’ Seminar coming up on 21/11/2018 in Lagos?  Do not miss it for anything.

Click here to register NOW!

 

 

50 Parents Explained Why They Changed the Schools their Wards were Enrolled and WELFARE topped the list

Parents on FabMumNG were asked why they changed the schools their wards were enrolled and they had a lot to say. After more than  100 comments were broken down into categories, we found out that the welfare of the wards is the strongest reason parents change schools followed by teacher competency, school management structure and many others. See parents comments below.

 

 WEAK MANAGEMENT
newlookconcept Poor management, 3 different teachers can teach a class for a session. So bad so many parents left.
ogoz_etc@newlookconcept same reason I’m about to change my child’s school. I can’t have 3 teachers in a session teach a 3 years old. I doubt it’s the best for the child.
jaybae Changing my child because of frequent change of staffs and some bad reasons I can’t mention here and also frequent increment
kemigbengaReligious purposes, my first son was already getting deep into another religion cos the owner of the school was Of that particular religion
wineup95The school was trying to teach them about being lesbian gay bi-sexual transgender and my son was only 6!!! Please tell me why does a 6 yr old need to know about that at that age??? Or maybe im just wrong !?!?!?!?!?! 
lollies_lieuI changed my daughters creche because I discovered that they don’t pray and lacked spiritual (Christian) content. Also because at the end of the term they gave a one year old typed examination, answered, marked and score with a result sheet! Who does that!!!!!? Plus her snacks was always missing, so I went early to pick her and saw where the care giver emptied all the kids snacks on the table
I changed my daughter’s school because of the way the proprietress handles issues. If the proprietress of a sch can shout at a parent, imagine what she’ll be doing to her staff. A school where the staff is not treated well, tell me where they’ll carry out their frustration. Children don’t just throw unnecessary tantrums, Parent should always watch their children attitude while taking their child to a new school. If your child cries once you’re approaching the school and always anxious to go immediately you get to that school. Mummy watch it there’s a problem.
 
CHILD’S WELFARE
Image Source: Chrisland Predegree College
panache_stitchesI changed my daughter’s creche after three months stay there, she doesn’t eat at home and they were assuring me that she eats in the creche. I knew they were lying to me when at her next immunization her weight has dropped. I was really sad and I changed the creche immediately. Where she is now, she is eating well and always happy whenever I drop and pick her 
nmasinachi1When my little daughter was in crèche,she always have cough & catarrh. She’s kinda being on antibiotics almost every month which I don’t like. I kept complaining and asked them if they have children with constant cold they said none. I went to pick her early one day and saw children with catarrh dropping down from their noses, saw one that another child is even playing with the mucus I shivered. I went to the office of the headmistress and call her to the class, she was like eehhh it was not like that maybe it just came out. I left the remaining money and that was my last their. I can’t even recommend there. It’s not cheap either cos it belongs to one church like that,. 

enniskidzzI changed my Son’s crèche back then. He was always down with a cold. I dropped him off one that and I called their attention to it and told them to please reduce the speed of the fan which they did. I got back in the evening to pick him up and the fan was on the highest speed with him directly under the fan. 

yewybinitieOh I changed my 2 yo son’s school after he came home one day with scratches on his face and neck no one at school could explain. Clearly, they were mixed with older children or something bit then d issue was not the injury…it was the fact that no one knew how or when it happened. 
bashhouseofdenimHe was having infection almost every month, he was always crying at the gate and he did that for 6months, I thought it was normal until I changed his school, the cry stoppedembrace.the.mess.you.areI had my sons in daycare for 3 weeks and the both of them would cry for 6 hours straight. I just had a feeling it was the childcare. I changed they cried for one week and its 3 years later and they are happy as can bebibbyscakes@oliveskovski it’s lack of hygiene
leesa_usifo@yewybinitie This happened to us.Cuts,a bump on her forehead.And nobody knew how!!!in short they were suggesting it happened in my house.Still so pissed.
i.am.odewunmi@fabmumng having this challenge currently.. Infection. Everything else is fantastic but this frequent bacteria infection.. My fear is, if I change to another creche, what’s the probability it won’t reoccur? Is there a way to prevent?
u4mabinoneYes!!! When my son said “mummy let’s not sleep so morning won’t come and you will take me to school”
agada_eneMy daughter came down with mumps, I took her to the hospital and met her classmate mum there, who told me her child was just recovering from it as well, I decided to go to the school, and I saw a child with his cheeks swollen obviously suffering from mumps, sitting in class with other healthy children. I was so angry and I called the Proprietress, She told me there was nothing she could do, because the child’s parents had gone to work and she can’t send him home.

 

STAFF COMPETENCY

Fort Yard

buitidanielI am changing my child’s school because her teacher has an accent and I don’t want it rubbing on my child imaging how she pronounces the letters of the eng alphabet. I can go On but then I know the foundation is key

gnepherCaregiver’s english was pathetic…we had to run🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️

verychiHe was in nursery 1. The elderly caregiver though nice and very maternal was too igbotic.

myorganiclivingI changed from the so called best school, because his teacher always complain about his inability to talk fast….He was a slow talker,she just couldn’t understand him, always make me feel bad each time I pick him by comparing him with other kids,I changed a yr ago, and he received award for the most improved during the recent graduation party at his new school, you need to hear how fast he talks now.

joan_la.belle.vieI was at the verge of changing the school when the teacher was kicked out. She would beat my 2yr9mths old just because he could not write. Oh if I remember the day I saw marks on his butt 3 hrs after he returned from school, I still weep. His crime was he cried for his mummy when he was supposed to be writing an exam. My son grew to hate school and the teacher so much so that when he heard that his little sister was soon to join him in school, he wept uncontrollably. Each time I remember I feel like a terrible mom. Thankfully, He is now comfortable with the school and tops his class.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
Photo Credit: Starfield College
candykidsngI am changing her school this September because of bad grammar
wigserviceI changed school because I wasn’t impressed with his performance. His teachers kept saying he was doing excellently well, but when I assess him at home it is the opposite! After spending so much on fees. His new school is by far better, they advice he repeated his class which i was in full support of. Foundation is key. He is doing extremely well, speaks well he even coaches his younger brother. I don’t regret it at all.
omotolaabiri@comfymama.ng same reason.
verychiI changed my son’s when I noticed he had developed igbo accent. He knocked at the door saying “kpai kpai here”.
littleangelsngYes. I changed my child’s school because the school was not truthful with my child’s actual performance. I found out they were always escalating her scores and padding the pupil’s scores for reasons beyond me🤷‍♀️
kidsgadgetsnpartiesThinking of changing cos of the grammar I see in her daily report
aism.aismTeacher never gave me feedback and no replies to my email she wasn’t welcoming. Also many students were failing I found out
littleangelsng@sparklinsatini How can my child’s lowest score in any subject be 98/100? Even in Yoruba language that she didn’t understand?

ABSENCE OF CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Photo Credit: The Bells Comprehensive College
justadorablezWe changed because it was all about the book. The school didn’t really have extracurricular activities. We are in a better school now
smartbookeducationalservicesI changed my child’s school because he wasn’t exposed to extra curricular activities.
importeddiapers_ng I changed schools because my work schedule changed and the school didn’t have school bus facility. I was really pained. He joined another school in the second term and these one are just about book only. No soft skill whatsoever. I miss our former school.
camilla4rilWish I cud change mine. Academics is 90 percent n morals 10 percent. I don’t know why d believe that academics over rules morals by that high percentage. 😓😓😓😓
 

FEE INCREMENT

maliyalovesecrets I will be changing their school for the first time this September. They don’t just fumigate! I treat the kids for malaria every term…they return from school with mosquito bites. Secondly, school fee was increased by 25,000 without any explanation. They did the same last year but this time I can’t take it. I don’t know if changing their school will affect them psychologically.

aderonkefameso Hubby is thinking of changing my children school because of increment which am not comfortable with bcus am satisfied with the school they don’t change teachers any how and my child is ok. Still thinking really.

RELOCATION

comfymama.ngI changed because of distance. I wanted somewhere closer to home for security and safety reasons
debbiekunmiI changed due to location , and still happy she cope much better than I expected
onostephanie Changed my son from a very good school when we moved houses. We enrolled him in one of the so-called good schools in the area. It turned out to be our biggest mistake. I was practically his teacher. We couldn’t wait for the session to be over to pull him out. He’s doing very well in his new school now and am so proud.
partypops09Changed when I moved House , her other school was good never has issues with them 
lagoswholesalesI changed my children’s school because we moved houses and I prefer the new school much more, it is not about only book but many more extracurricular activity and the focus given per child. They don’t all have the same home work, it is based on the level the child is at the moment
wonderchildforkidsAm about to change school due to location changes, please if you know any good school around Ketu kindly recommend one to me
Oh yeah. Changed when I moved houses. I was so sad.
Photo: SchoolsCompass.com.ng Homepage

Are there other reasons you would want us to know about, kindly comment below.

How does Parent Persona help your school?

When you speak in a language that is familiar to your prospects, you are instantly compensated with their attentions.

Just before you continue: This article is a continuation of last week’s blog where we introduced the concept of parent persona and how to create one for your school. It may be helpful to read it before this one if you miss it last week. 

Photo credit: belleafricana

When I was young, I used to excitedly follow my mum into the local markets to do some shopping. In the midst of thousands of people, any time she hears ‘Mama Yomi’ (meaning Yomi’s mum) or her name, ”come and buy this, buy that,” she is bound to turn her head and look the way of the caller. Dogmatically, I followed suit.

It is an undeniable fact that when you speak in a language that is familiar to your prospects, you are instantly compensated with their attention. Even if you have never met before.

Understanding your prospective and current parents through Parent Persona is an integral part of your marketing success and school growth. Failure to do so is subjecting yourself to be ‘fooled by randomness’ which cannot be sustained in the midst of a highly competitive private school market.

If you take a look at your Parent Persona, you will discover some interesting patterns you never thought of before now. For example, if a good number of your parents work in the banking sector, it is an indication that there are things you do in your school that attract bankers. Once this is established, this is a good place to start, just take these 3 steps:

  1. Look at individual parent persona in this category of bankers to find out what exactly it is.   You may find out that your after-school service fits in into their busy schedules.
  2. The next thing is to get your marketing team to craft messages that may be themed like this ‘We appreciate your busy schedule and help you keep your kids busy till you are ready to leave for the day’. You may even be generous enough to add ‘at no extra cost’ if you really mean it. This is called empathy in its simplest terms.
  3. Lastly, look out for where bankers hang out- it could be a group of bankers on Facebook or WhatsApp. You can even walk into banking halls to reach out to more of them with your message.

Depending on the peculiarity of your school,  you may discover  trends like most parents in your school are celebrities, politicians, IT gurus, entrepreneurs, civil servant, live in a particular location, are within certain age range, like to play  a particular game, are of same tribe or religion (if they are Christians, find out their churches Pentecostals, Protestants, Orthodox etc), marital status etc. If you need to call them or send a survey in order to probe further, please do!

It is important to note that these patterns can come in different shapes and sizes. It may even look as trivial as most of them play a chess game. If this is the case, STEM could be your own joker to woo prospective parents because chess is an analytical game.  As long as it works for you: it is legitimate and okay.

THE BELLS SCHOOLS ALUMNI, LUNCHING THE INDOOR SPORTS FACILITIES

You will observe a packet of patterns for you to work with if your parent persona is done thoroughly (guess game is not allowed). Once this is observed, just follow the steps listed above.

One a final note, I will share my personal experience of how parent persona worked for me. Just recently, I was invited to speak to parents of final year pupils of Standard Bearers Schools Lekki Lagos alongside with representatives of some top schools in Nigeria.

In order not to be seeing as competing with schools there present, I offered to be the last speaker. When it was my turn to speak, the first thing I did was to tell my audience that I am also a parent and I also have a 10 years old daughter looking to gain admission into secondary school. This provided a strong bond between us.

Photo credit: Standard Bearers School, LekkiS Musical Recitals

What is your ideal school?

The next thing I did was to ask them this simple question: ‘what is your ideal school?’  Out of all the inspiring answers, one of them particularly caught my attention most: she said her son likes music and she will like to support him to become a DJ in the future. Her ideal school is the school that shows a strong interest in music as part of its extracurricular activities. All the schools that spoke lost the chance to address this woman’s pain points even if they have such facility in place.

For questions and follow up or if you need help creating a parent personal for your school, send an email to yomi@schoolscompass.com.ng or drop a comment

 

 

Schools With Amazing Sports Facilities in Nigeria

Grade-conscious parents tend to question the rationale for sporting activities in schools; Little do they know that the benefit of sports in school isn’t merely physical. Sports has been identified to play a major role in building the self-esteem and mental alertness of a child; it is a constitutional part of a child’s life.

Image source:Abercrombie Primary School

The Case for Sports in Schools

Of course, a child should study hard to excel in examinations, this, however, should not be to the detriment of enjoying the health and vigour of life which engaging in sporting activities provides. All work and no play makes the proverbial Jack a dull boy. Children who actively participate in sports have been reported to exhibit increased social relations and higher self-esteem.  Sports, therefore, meets the physical, emotional, social, physiological and intellectual needs of learners. Through play, children are able to relate to their unacquainted world and gain the desired experiences.

Source:www.sspf.in

Top schools in Nigeria do not only integrate sports into their curriculum, they provide facilities that enable students to recognize and develop their sporting talents. In no particular order, here are top schools in Nigeria with amazing sports facilities.

DOVELAND INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS

Image Source: Doveland International Schools

There is a standard basketball court in the school where students come out to play and interact. Do you know that it has been discovered basketball build endurance and develop concentration and self-discipline in students? it is a social sports that teaches students how to become a good team player.

THE WHITE DOVE SCHOOLS

Image Source: The White Dove Schools

White dove Schools has a Football pitch with a natural turf. Majority of students in schools have a great passion for football. With a football pitch in a school, it will help the dreams and passion of those students to keep burning.

SILVERSANDS HIGH SCHOOL

Image Source: Silversands High School

Many believe that Acrobatic exercise should be done by adults but the best time to start this Acrobatic exercise is during childhood. It is a source of physical well-being and it helps the flexibility of the body. Silversand has an acrobatic class for the children.

Image Source: Silversands High School

Silversands High School encourages cycling as a sports activity in their environment. it has been discovered that cycling is aerobic which help to work out the heart, blood vessel and lungs.

IMAAD SCHOOLS LEKKI

                                                                     Image Source: Imaad Schools

Sports activities are not limited by age. Imaad school has a field where pupils are allowed to participate in any sports activities. Imaad school practice Judo sport which originated in Japan. It’s a martial art that is celebrated worldwide. Many parents don’t know that Judo sports add lots of value to their children such as respect, self-esteem, friendship, loyalty, courage for what is right, honour, self-control, modesty etc

THE BELL COMPREHENSIVE SECONDARY SCHOOL

Image Source: The Bell Comprehensive Secondary School

The Bell Comprehensive Secondary school is known for its indoor sports activities such as long tennis, basketball, volleyball etc. Playing indoor sport is an excellent measure where children spend their leisure time. it has also been discovered that indoor sports activities aid relaxation and social interaction in children.

Source:Pinterest

Summary

We don’t think our list is exhaustive and we will be happy to add more schools. To add your school to this list, simply comment with the name of your school in the box below, sign up or log in to your profile on SchoolsCompass and upload the image of your sports facilities.

Thanks for helping Nigerian parents choose the best schools for their wards.

 

 

WAEC Publishes the Examination Time-Table for Jan/Feb 2018

The West African Examination Council (WAEC) has published the Examination Time-Table for Jan/Feb 2018 1st series WASSCE, Private Candidates (WAEC GCE) .  The Examination is expected to commence on Monday, January 29th, 2018 and end on Monday, February 12th, 2018. The complete details of the Timetable are follows

Monday 29th January, 2018 
Civic Education 2 [Essay] 9.30 am – 11.30 am 
Civic Education 1 [Objective] 11.30pm – 12.30pm 
Agricultural Science 3 [Alternative to Practical Work] 3:00pm – 4:30pm

Tuesday 30th January, 2018 
Agricultural Science 2 (Essay) 9.30 am-11.40am 
Agricultural Science 1 -11.40pm – 12.30pm

Wednesday 31st January, 2018 
Financial Accounting 2 [ Theory and Practice] 9:30am – 12:00pm 
Financial Accounting 1 [Objectives] 12:00pm – 1:00pm 
Biology 2 [Essay] 3:00pm – 4:40pm 
Biology 1 [Objectives] 4:40pm – 5:00pm

Thursday 1st February, 2018 
Hausa 2 [Essay] 9:30am – 11:00am 
Hausa 1 [Objectives] 11:30am – 12:30pm 
Igbo 2 [Essay] 9:30am – 11:00pm 
Igbo 1 [Objectives] 11:30am – 12:30pm 
Yoruba 2 [Essay] 9:30am – 11:00pm 
Yoruba 1 [Objectives] 11:30am – 12:30pm 
Chemistry 3 [Alternative to Practical Work] 3:30pm – 5:00pm

Friday 2nd February, 2018 
Geography 2 [Essay] 9:30am – 11:30am 
Geography 1 [Objectives] 11:30am – 12:30pm 
Biology 3 [Alternative to Practical Work] 2:00pm – 4:00pm

 
Saturday 3rd February, 2018 
General Mathematics [Core] 2 [Essay] 9:30am – 12:00pm 
General Mathematics [Core] 1 [Objectives] 2:00pm – 3:30pm

Monday 5th February, 2018 
Physics 2 (Essay) 9.30 am – 11.00am 
Physics 1 (Objectives) 11.00am – 12.15 pm 
Geography 3 [Alternative to Practical Work] 3:00pm – 4:50pm

Tuesday 6th February, 2018 
Economics 2 (Essay) 9.30am – 11.30pm Economics 1 (Objectives) 11.30am – 12.30 am 
Physics 3 (Alternative to Practical Work) 2.00pm-4.45pm

Wednesday 7th February, 2018 
Christian Religious Studies 2 (Essay) 9.30am – 11.30 am 
Christian Religious Studies 1 (Objectives) 11.30 am – 12.30pm 
Islamic Studies 2 (Essay) 9.30am – 11.30 am 
Islamic Studies 1 (Objectives) 11.30 am – 12.30pm 
Literature-In-Eng 2 (Prose) 2.00pm – 3.15 pm 
Literature-In-Eng 1 (Objectives) 3.15 am – 4.15pm

Thursday 8th February, 2018 
Chemistry 2 (Essay) 9.30am – 11.30pm 
Chemistry 1 (Objectives) 11.30pm – 12.30pm 
Government 2 (Essay) 2.00pm – 4.00 pm 
Government (Obj) 4.00pm – 5.00 pm

Friday 9th February, 2018 
Commerce 2 (Essay) 9.30am-11.30am 
Commerce 1 (Objectives) 11.30am – 12.20am 
Literature-In-Eng 3 (Drama & Poetry) 2.00 pm – 4.30 pm

Saturday 10th February, 2018 
English Language 2 (Essay) 9.30am – 11.30am 
English Language 1(Obj) 11.30am – 12.30pm 
English Language 3(Oral) 3.30pm – 4.15am

Monday 12th February, 2018 
Further Mathematics [Elective] 2 (Essay) 9.30am – 12.00pm 
Further Mathematics [Elective] 1 (Objectives) 3.00pm – 4.30pm

NOTE: 
Difference In Time On Question Paper and Time-Table
Where the duration indicated on the question paper differs from that on the time-table, the one on the question paper should be followed.

Visit SchoolsCompass.com.ng to find Secondary Schools and Sixth Form Colleges with excellent records in W.A.S.S.C.E.

 

 

How Schools in Nigeria Celebrated Independence Day

October 1st will always be a memorable day for Nigeria and Nigerians, a day of festive and historic remembrance. It’s a day when everyone including schools celebrates our National day as well as culture.It’s a remarkable day well spent with friends, families, teachers, colleagues and so on. Schools act as an example to the immediate community to show the importance of educating our young ones about not just our history but also how different cultures came to be, placing emphasis on the unity of a nation. Here are few of our schools who joined in the National/cultural day celebration;

1. The White Dove Schools Sangotedo, Lagos

2. Ladela Schools Wuse 2, Abuja

3. Chrisland School Abuja

4. Almond School Ajah-Lekki, Lagos

5. Doveland International School Abuja

6. New Hall International School Lekki, Lagos

7. Adorable Toes School Ogidan, Lagos

8. Dukeland International School Idimu, Lagos

9. Standard Bearers School Lekki, Lagos

10. Pinefield Schools Lekki, Lagos

11. Treasure Chest Children’s Place Badore-Addo, Lagos

12. Learning Ladder Montessori Badore-Addo, Lagos

13. The Oaktree School Ikeja, Lagos

14. Tenderfeet International School Badore-Ajah, Lagos

15. Surefoot International School Calabar, Cross River State

16. Clavont International School Satellite Town, Lagos

17. DCP International School Surulere, Lagos

Dear parents, if you are still looking out for the best schools for your ward, schoolscompass is all you need. Getting an ideal school is just a click away. Schoolscompass is the gateway to showing you schools with unique, modern facilities and conducive learning environment with certified teachers who holds the children with high priority at heart.

THE IMPORTANCE OF PLAYGROUPS

With social interaction playing a major role in creating a stimulating environment for children to learn and play, playgroups have significantly become a platform for children and parents to obtain optimum development. Playgroups enable children to develop social skills by exposing them to making more friends that can last a lifetime. It gives them some alone time with their parents allowing them to play more. Parents on the other hand also tend to gain from the playgroups as they are able to interact with other parents in the group, share ideas, concerns, and experiences, learn from other parents and as well build up their social networks.

Photo Credit: Standard Bearers

Playgroups are filled with lots of fun and offer children great support as well as their respective parent as this gives them time to relax and rid themselves of all sorts of tension, work stress. Through playgroups, children’s language development and communication grow stronger, their emotional confidence, physical activity, imagination, and creativity are all heightened. It assists children to become ready for the formal environment and it also opens the opportunity to attend excursions/events.

Photo Credit: Albesta Academy

Playgroup is an informal session where mums, dads, grandparents, caregivers, children, and babies meet together in a relaxed environment. They are set up and run by parents and caregivers, with a range of activities designed to meet the needs of the children attending. -Playgroup Australia

 

PLAYGROUP ACTIVITIES

Singing- Activities such as this brings the children closer making them share common rhymes and also teaching them how to memorize things. Singing improves a child’s memory and it acts as a prerequisite skill for reading. Singing also helps your child enhance his vocabulary and, depending on the songs, can teach him about science, history, and culture.

According to a blog post on How Singing to children may help the development of language skills by Amelia Hill from parents and parenting, Daniel Dwase, editor of the online Child Development Guide, said “Music assists in the development of a child’s speech,” he said. “Singing nursery rhymes and simple songs teach children how language is constructed and assists with the acquisition of language. Singing songs with your child will also teach them about tone, beat, and rhythm.

“Even better than just singing, though, is to teach songs with actions and encourage your child to dance along to the music, they will learn balance, co-ordination, body awareness and rhythm,” he said

Photo Credit: Adorable Toes

Arts and Craft- This draws a child’s focus to the world of art and through this, most children tend to further develop their artistry as they grow older. This also brings a connection between the children in the group and helps the child to demonstrate/develop self-control and patience.

According to an article on The Benefits of Art for Kids, the International Child Art Foundation said, “Research indicates that a child who is exposed to the arts acquires a special ability to think creatively, be original, discover, innovate, and create intellectual property—key attributes for individual success and social prosperity in the twenty-first century.”

Photo Credit: Al Furqaan Schools

Outdoor Play- Activities done outside such as football, basketball and so on improves the child’s physical strength/state as well as mental. Sports activities help keep the child in good shape both external and internal. It is a  perfect place for kids to be kids with the freedom to shout, jump, run, hop or skip.

We also know babies sleep better at night if they’ve had some fresh air and sunshine during the day, according to a study called The Relationship Between Daytime Exposure to Light and Night-time Sleep in 6-12 Week Old Infants.-Importance of outdoor play activities for kids, NCT

Photo Credit: Standard Bearers

Imaginative Play-

Such as making up stories and putting them into an act helps the child assimilate ideas quickly and they are able to groom themselves in the drama world. It fosters mental growth by creating opportunities for trying out new ideas, ways of thinking and problem-solving (helps the brain develop creativity).

An important  benefit of early pretend play may be its enhancement of the child’s capacity for cognitive flexibility and, ultimately, creativity (Russ, 2004; Singer & Singer, 2005). Russ, for example, in longitudinal  studies, found that early imaginative play was associated with increased creative performance years later (Russ, 2004; Russ, & Fiorelli,  2010).- The Need for Pretend Play in Child Development, Psychological Today

Photo Credit: Learning ladder

Trips- This can involve activities such as camping, site seeing to help the child know more about their environment and also to learn new things that wouldn’t be taught in the school environment. Trips aid children with new experiences and increase their understanding of the world around them.

Photo Credit: The White Dove

Playgroups are very important at the early stages of a child’s development and so parents and schools should engage more in such activities with their kids and their students as well as encourage them to help their development process.

Visit schoolscompass.co.ng for ideal schools for your wards.

 

WHAT METHOD OF TEACHING BEST SUIT A CHILD?

Irrespective of the child’s age, parents take responsibilities for their children. With children being taught by different teachers,  one is faced with the reality that they are exposed to different teaching methods with no way to measure which teaching method is most-effective.

Ever wondered about the teaching method being used by the school and how effective they are to the learners? Parents and teachers should have a ready answer to the question of what the most-appropriate teaching method should be. Children differ and so do learning methods. While a child can grasp a concept faster through singing, the other might find singing a distraction to learning. Taking out time as a parent or teacher to figure out how a child learns can go a long way as there are several ways of making children learn; Let’s review some teaching methods.

 

Role Play

Photo Credit: Albesta Academy

According to Ian Glover on TEL, Role-play is a technique that allows students to explore realistic situations by interacting with other people in a managed way in order to develop experience and trial different strategies in a supported environment. Depending on the intention of the activity, participants might be playing a role similar to their own (or their likely one in the future) or could play the opposite part of the conversation or interaction. Both options provide the possibility of significant learning, with the former allowing experience to be gained and the latter encouraging the student to develop an understanding of the situation from the ‘opposite’ point of view.

This method of teaching is mostly used during literature classes. It can also be adapted for in-class activities that don’t have to be focused on literature only. Such activities can be implemented to the storytelling lessons, history knowledge,  and the likes of it.

 

Demonstration

Photo Credit: Learning Ladder

The demonstration method involves the teacher educating the class by showing rather than by merely explaining the concept to be learned. The teacher ensures learning by making the learners engaged in activities that involve the actual display of what is being taught.

According to Heather Coffey on LEARN NC  the teacher, or some other expert on the topic being taught, performs the tasks step-by-step so that the learner will eventually be able to complete the same task independently when using the demonstration method in the classroom. The eventual goal is for learners to not only duplicate the task, but to recognize how to problem-solve when unexpected obstacles or problems arise. After performing the demonstration, the teacher’s role becomes supporting students in their attempts, providing guidance and feedback, and offering suggestions for alternative approaches.

 

Group Work

Photo Credit: Blooming Greens Schools

Group work usually involves groups of students formally working together on projects or assignment, though it may sometimes take place in formal classroom settings. When setting group work tasks, it can be useful to consider student availability, resources necessary, and expected outcomes. – TIC

Some students find learning easier when they are allowed to work in groups or pairs. Through these, students are able to help themselves and communicate their difficulties to their friends rather than the teachers.

 

Recitation

Photo Credit: Crescent Nursery and Primary School

 Recitation is a direct, teacher-centered approach in which the teacher asks specific short answer questions with a specific answer in mind. Incorrect answers are usually corrected by the teacher or by the class. A teacher may use probing questions in order to help the class come to the correct answer. The repetition of question and answer helps information retention. It is best used for the memorization of facts–base level knowledge. – Valeri, Adam & Racheal

This method of teaching is most suitable when it involves calculations, works of literature, etc. It aids the recall of names, words, formulas, processes, etc.

 

Field Trips

Photo Credit: New Hall International Schools

  A field trip is a visit to a place outside the regular classroom which is designed to achieve certain objectives, which cannot be achieved as well by using other means. – Liga and Agen

Most, if not all students enjoy time outside school walls. A field trip is one of the best methods to teach students especially when it comes to geographical topics involving nature, history of a country, state or community. Students get to actually see the world from a whole new perspective and also get insights on the real nature of things.

 

Quizzes.

Photo Credit: Doveland International Schools

This method of teaching is every teacher best in that they enjoy giving quizzes to students to know how much they have learned and how much they as a teacher has been able to instill in them

 

Source slidesharecdn.com

Children learn through several means. Teachers, as well as parents, need to identify the most appropriate learning methods/experience for the children. Finding an ideal school that cares about your child’s growth is just a click away, kindly visit Schoolscompass.com.ng and you are sure to get much more than you expected.

 
 
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