Starting a Private School

What is a Private School?

A private school is an institution which is not dependent on the Government for funds, but is run by a group of people by raising funds and tuition fees from children. Though it can be a little expensive for parents to send their children to private schools, many of them opt for this because it offers various advantages like limited number of children in a classroom, individual attention and educational facilities like computer labs, libraries, etc. Due to this, private schools have gained a lot of popularity and hence there is a need of more new schools. However, a person thinking about opening a private school needs to know various important things about how to start a school. The process is a long one (at least two years) and requires lots of preparation. Nevertheless, if a person has a vision and a strong determination, the dream to begin a private school would surely gain fruition.

Beginning a Private School

• It is true that you have a great vision of starting a school. However, you cannot do it on your own, and so it is important to form a committee comprising experienced educationists, parents, teachers, community leaders, etc. It is also important to include lawyers, accountants, etc. in your committee. Once the committee members have been finalized, talk to them about your ideas of starting a new school and ask them for their expert opinions. Divide the committee into various sections, each group focusing on a specific area like research work, budgets, employment, advertising, etc.
• It is important to indulge in research work before deciding on the type of school you want to start. Conduct surveys to know what kind of a school are the local people looking for. The results would help you in deciding on whether the school should have a kindergarten, boarding school, elementary classes, high school, etc. It is also important to decide how many grades would the school begin with. This usually depends upon the finances available in the beginning.
• As you are a novice in the area of private schools, it would be better for you to look at other private schools. Research into the history of these schools, how it began, its management, progress, etc., to get a fair idea about how to plan the working of your own school.
• Once you are done with the research work, the next step would be to develop a plan for the working of the school. The plan should include the budget required, location of the school, faculty and other staff members. The most important factor here is the budget because this determines the type of school that is going to be started. Many times, committees only think about the obvious expenditure that would come up while planning to start a school. However, it is necessary to plan for unexpected expenses very well ahead.
• Just like any other school, it still requires the approval of state government. The lawyer in your committee could look after such legal matters like notifying the state department of education, and also on other legal matters that are essential for the opening of a new school.
• The next step would be to find donors who would provide with the initial funding for your school. You can apply to private companies, foundations, and people who do regular charity work for financial help. The committee would also need to do some campaigning to acquire adequate funds.
• The next step is the location where your school would be located. You can either buy a vacant plot or opt for an already built-up building for your school. If you are planning to buy an old building, look for how much money you would have to put in to remodel it and whether it is worth the expenses. Choose an area which could easily be accessible for students and also provides them with various facilities.
• After this comes the next important step which is choosing your faculty and staff members. Give an advertisement for the position of principal, business manager, teachers for various grades and subjects, and other staff members. Look for experienced as well as potential candidates who have the ability to contribute to the school in a productive way.
• Once you have selected your faculty, it is the time to admit students. Advertise about your school in newspapers, community groups and club presentations. It would also be a good idea to start a website on the Internet regarding the school where parents would be able to know more about the school and the admission procedures.

Though you may have big dreams about your school, start with small goals and gradually move towards bigger goals. By taking small steps you would surely be able to reach your dream of running a private school successfully.