School Search & Selection:
Finding the right fit school for your son or daughter
Single sex or co-ed? State or private? Day or boarding? Making moves at 7, 10, 11 or 13? The London education system can seem complex and difficult to navigate. Commons Education’s schools experts are sought out as British education consultants and specialists on London schools.
Commons Education's modern, progressive approach to finding the right school for your son or daughter draws together two strands: academic profile + character fit. You could call it IQ + EQ. Or the balance between classroom + sports pitch, rehearsal space or art studio.
Our primary aim is to help you plot a pathway for your child that leads to happiness and success. We pride ourselves on recommending the best schools which will cultivate your son or daughter’s talents, and, most importantly, are the right fit for them.
Once you have chosen your shortlist of schools, Commons Education’s expert, inspiring tutors can help your son or daughter prepare for entrance assessments.
To get started, book a complimentary context-gathering consultation call with Adam, founder of Commons Education:
Like many parents, we were a bit lost in terms of knowing which secondary schools (post 13) could be right for our son when we were considering a change. Adam has a charismatic personality and was able to work out what made our son tick through discussion and humour. He was able to talk through a large number of potential options (both day and boarding) and then gave recommendations which he helped us explore. We highly recommend him.
– Marcus, happy parent
IQ+EQ
How we help you find the right fit school for your son or daughter
At the heart of Commons Education’s unique approach to educational consultancy is deep care for your child’s and your family’s emotional wellbeing. Our expert school search and selection advice is informed by human insight, and empowered by technology.
1. Character/emotional portrait
First, and most importantly, is meeting your son or daughter to build up a character/emotional portrait, which includes personal interests, approach in the classroom, relationships with teachers and discovering what motivates them to learn. For families in London or Surrey, this session with Adam D’Souza, founder of Commons Education, is even better done in person. We can, of course, work on video conference with children around the world. Commons Education offers a tailored service for international families relocating to the UK.
2. Academic assessment
The next step is benchmarking your son or daughter’s current academic levels against the academic entry standards of selective schools in London and beyond using our AI-powered assessment. This online test shows a child’s current potential in comparison to their peers, specifically in terms of the type of skills required to tackle schools’ entrance exams.
3. Academic debriefing
After the academic assessment, you will receive a personal debrief on a video call with your Commons Education adviser and an assessment specialist to explain the data in your child’s test report: identifying strengths, and flagging up skills which might need a little more work.
4. School search and placement
Adam and the Commons Education team will draw together the data from your child’s academic profile with the insight of the character/emotional portrait. This complete, holistic view of your child will be used to create a list of potential right-fit schools which are aligned with your son or daughter’s individual academic needs, character, interests and your family values.
5. Entrance assessment preparation
Commons Education member tutors can provide specific, tailored tutoring support which helps your child to develop skills identified in the academic assessment as needing improvement, so that they can shine at their absolute best when sitting selective schools’ entrance assessments.
“Adam was highly sensitive to our children's individual needs and even thought strategically about the best way to 'pitch' the various options to them - understanding that their 'buy-in' was all-important. If you're looking for someone who understands the UK independent school system and what it takes to get into certain schools, but who also takes a holistic approach, taking into account the perspective of the child, then look no further
– Polly, happy parent
Why Commons Education’s consultants are the perfect, expert partners to help you find the right fit school for your child
Empathetic understanding of your child
Our holistic assessment process is designed to discern your child’s character and talents so that our recommendations are the right fit emotionally and socially as well as academically.
Data-driven insight
We will provide you with detailed, up to date research summaries, since the market of top London private schools is ever changing. Our AI-powered, proprietary academic benchmarking assessment gives you an accurate, baseline snapshot of how your child might perform in comparison to other applicants.
Track record of success
Commons Education consultants have helped students gain entrance to some of the leading academic schools in London, Surrey and beyond. Our educational approach equips children with the tools to succeed without putting them under unnecessary pressure.