At The Learning Curve Academy, we understand that deciding which school is right for your child is as important as which board is right for your child. And that is precisely why we interviewed parents across Mumbai to ask them which school their child goes to and why. We hope you enjoy their insights!
If you have any questions that you think we might have missed, please feel free to email us at contactus@thelearningcurveacademy.com and we will try to include them in our next interview.
The first parent in our series is Rima Sheth, whose son Amay is in 2nd grade at Jamnabai Narsee School’s International Baccalaureate’s (IB) PYP (Primary Years Programme).
WHICH SCHOOL IS RIGHT FOR YOUR CHILD?
School: Jamnabai Narsee
Curriculum: IB PYP
Parent: Rima Sheth
Child: Amay Sheth
Grade: 2
What made you choose the IB curriculum for your child?
R: I feel that parents always have an inkling about the basic nature of their child and I have always noticed that my son is a thinker and highly curious. The incident that really cemented my decision was when I enrolled him in a reading class in Sr. KG.
As the year progressed and the class became more intensive to prepare students to enter ICSE grade 1, Amay became increasingly demotivated and disliked attending class. He started reading and writing fluently at an early age, and the class should have been a good fit for him. But I realised that he was simply not interested in the way he was being taught.
At the time, my son was already studying in Jamnabai, and we had been hearing about the new PYP IB program. I spoke to a few of the teachers who would be making up the PYP staff, and gained a better understanding of the curriculum, and how it was to be enquiry- and learning-based, and that it would be a practical curriculum instead of simply rote learning. I knew then, that IB was the only option for my son.
What made you choose JNS over other IB schools?
R: I live in the Juhu area, and am a working mother. Because of this, I wasn’t very keen on the idea of letting my child travel a distance for school every day. Aside from this, both my family and I have studied in Jamnabai during our student days, and thus I also have a certain amount of loyalty and faith in it.
Furthermore, while other IB schools have good reputations, I believe JNS has an edge they do not, in its history. That they have been around as an institution for so long shows that they are doing something right. Aside from providing education, a school is also a place that helps a child develop as an individual, and I think that Jamnabai provides that very well.
However, I have to add that had the school not started the IB PYP when it did, I would have looked at other schools such as Oberoi.
What has been your experience with JNS as a parent?
R: I’ve had largely good experiences. The curriculum is excellent – after speaking to parents with children in other IB schools that have been conducting the PYP for longer than Jamnabai, I feel that they are following the right pattern. Because my son was part of the first batch of PYP students, we were aware that there would be teething issues for the school. And while – though slight – there no doubt were issues, now that he is in the second grade and the PYP in Jamnabai is in its second year, those issues are being resolved. The teachers and their level of teaching have improved tremendously. While the infrastructure is not up to the mark compared to other IB PYP schools, I was fully cognizant of this issue before I chose the JNS PYP curriculum. After all, there is only so much that the school can do, considering that the new IB building was built on an existing campus.
The second year of the programme has been extremely promising for my child – aside from introducing better teachers, the school has tied up with various institutions and provides students a chance to enter into a variety of national and international competitions and tournaments. I am happy with the PYP curriculum in Jamnabai – while there is always scope for improvement, I think that the programme has greatly benefited my child.
What has been your child’s experience with JNS?
R: My son loves going to school, and is unwilling to skip school for any reason, even if he is sick. Before he shifted to the PYP curriculum in the first grade, this was not the case – he often disliked attending class, especially towards the end of Sr. KG, when the students were being prepared for entry into first grade ICSE.
According to me, the lower student to teacher ratio has made a world of difference, as well as the state of the art infrastructure. Additionally, the IB teaching style has also helped my son fall in love with school.
What advice would you give to parents applying for admission in Jamnabai’s PYP curriculum?
R: According to me, parents need to be able to judge their child. They need to know whether or not their child is a thinker, and if the child will adapt well into larger classrooms. While some students shine, in a classroom setting where the student to teacher ratio is 50 to 1, about 40 of those children get lost in the crowd. Parents need to be able to gauge how well their child will do in an IB setting, because changing curricula from IB to something else can be difficult for a child used to the PYP.
More than anything, parents must be willing to do their research, both online and by talking to people in the know. Talking to teachers is highly beneficial, as it gives you a glimpse into not only the contents of the curriculum, but also what the approach to teaching will be. This can help a parent determine whether or not their child will find that environment beneficial.
