Wellington College in the UK has opted out of newspaper league tables
Parents should ignore useless league tables that give them "bragging rights" and visit schools instead, a leading headmaster has suggested.
The idea emerged as an expert said "sensible" parents need to put their child's happiness first and ignore the "marketing spin" that comes with league tables.
Heads from leading independent schools have already opted out of newspaper league tables with Wellington College being the latest to do so because they fail to show the wider education on offer.
Writing in Attain, the magazine of the Independent Association of Prep Schools, Mike Buchanan, chairman-elect of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC), which represents the UK's most famous schools, said parents should visit the school to find out whether their child is suited for it.
Mr Buchanan, who is also headmaster of Ashford School, said choosing a good school is like buying a house and it should "feel right" upon visiting it.
Writing in Attain, he said: "Making the decision to invest in your child's education (...) combines a rational search of the possibilities with an emotional sense of feeling, underpinned with an image in your mind of how your child will grow within the school.
"It is the reason why schools often concentrate on making an emotional link with visitors; prospective parents get to meet both younger and older pupils so that they can picture how their child might, one day, turn into one of those articulate, charming and capable young people."
But, instead, he accused parents of using league tables just to acquire "bragging rights". He said: "The tables may be interesting and provide a topic of conversation or bragging rights for some for a day or two, but they provide little of lasting value.
"And with more and more independent schools choosing to opt out of the tables, even their short term value needs to be seriously questioned."
Separately, Matthew Smith, Attain's editor, said any "sensible" parent would look at whether a child "feels comfortable" in the prospective school. He said a child's happiness should be paramount instead of parents letting themselves be influenced by "awards" or "any other marketing spin".
He wrote: "Parents rightly assume that league tables are worthwhile and provide the transparency they need when choosing a school.
"The sad fact is that the merry- go-round keeps turning because of the power of marketing. Some schools think they need league tables because the governors think it provides useful marketing.
"Sensible parents know that they need to look at a school's university entrance success to effectively judge its performance.
"They also know they must attach as much weight to looking at a school's success in sport, music, drama and all manner of other extracurricular activities.
"Above all else, sensible parents know that the right school for their child is one in which he or she will feel comfortable, be accepted for who they are and what they believe and – crucially – be happy.
"Nowhere in this process should be the influence of awards, league tables or any other marketing spin."
Source: The Telegraph newspaper UK
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/2016/04/17/parents-should-ignore-school-league-tables-as-they-only-
give-the/
