Edu Inc Case Study | Ronald's story
14 February 2019 · 2 min · as at 2019-02-14
Jacqueline Aitchison (host)
Listen to the episode on iono.fm · MP3
Episode analysis
Analysis by AI, drawn only from this episode; every point links to the moment it rests on.
Jacqueline Aitchison, Director of Education Incorporated (Edu Inc), explains that every prospective pupil at the school attends a trial week. Edu Inc is a mainstream independent school in Fourways, Johannesburg, writing the IEB for Grades 4 to 12, with small classes by design. She then tells the story of Ronald, a grade six pupil. At his previous school he was crying daily, had morning stomach aches and had Sunday tantrums before tests. She describes his reluctance at the start of the trial week, his change by its end, his mother's feedback and his assessment results. She ends with his enrolment and says he has had one sore tummy in three years.
Key ideas
- Jacqueline describes the trial week as compulsory and fully immersive. It lets the child, the family and the school judge fit before the school invests in educating the child. [00:04]▸ [00:06]▸ [00:08]▸
- Ronald's distress at his old school showed as physical and emotional signs: daily crying, morning stomach aches and Sunday tantrums before Monday tests. [00:23]▸ [00:31]▸
- Ronald's reluctance on day one had changed by the end of the week. He was smiling, had made friends, liked the teachers' explanations and had managed all the homework. [00:19]▸ [00:42]▸ [00:49]▸ [00:54]▸ [01:03]▸
- The parent's feedback centred on visible behaviour change: Ronald talked in the car and was ready for school without being woken. [01:09]▸ [01:22]▸ [01:22]▸ [01:29]▸
- The trial week includes an academic assessment. Ronald's showed catching up needed in mathematics, while his reading and comprehension were at grade level. [01:39]▸ [01:46]▸
Edu Inc trial week
- The child attends a full, immersive trial week at the school.
- On day one, the child has an initial conversation with the headmaster.
- During the week, the child attends classes and does the homework teachers set.
- The child completes an assessment in mathematics and English.
- At the end of the week, the child has a second conversation with the headmaster.
- A trial week feedback meeting is held with the parent.
As described in the episode: [00:04]▸ [00:08]▸ [00:19]▸ [00:49]▸ [00:54]▸ [01:09]▸ [01:09]▸ [01:39]▸
Lessons
- Jacqueline presents a trial week as a way for child, family and school to test fit before enrolment. [00:04]▸ [00:08]▸
- In Ronald's story, daily crying, stomach aches and test-related tantrums are presented as signs a child is not enjoying school. [00:23]▸ [00:31]▸
- The story shows a child's initial reluctance about a new school can change within one week. [00:42]▸ [00:54]▸ [01:29]▸
- The assessment in Ronald's case identified a specific area to catch up, mathematics, alongside grade-appropriate reading. [01:39]▸ [01:46]▸
Who it's for
Parents of a child who is unhappy or anxious at their current school and who are considering Edu Inc. It also suits anyone wanting to know how the school's trial week works.
Facts stated in the episode
- Every child must attend a trial week before enrolling at Edu Inc. [00:04]▸
- Ronald was a pupil in grade six. [00:19]▸
- Ronald completed assessments in mathematics and English during his trial week. [01:39]▸
- Ronald has had one sore tummy in the three years since enrolling. [01:53]▸ [01:55]▸
Questions this episode answers
- Does Edu Inc require a trial week before a child can enrol?Yes. Jacqueline Aitchison says every child is required to attend a trial week to see if there's a good fit with the school. [00:04]▸ [00:06]▸
- What is the purpose of the Edu Inc trial week?Jacqueline describes it as a fully immersive experience of the school. It lets the child, the family and the school see if there is a potential fit before the school invests in educating the child. [00:08]▸
- What was happening to Ronald before he came to Edu Inc?He was crying every day when collected and complained of stomach aches in the morning. Sunday afternoons involved shouting, wailing and tantrums, especially before Monday tests. [00:23]▸ [00:31]▸
- How did Ronald feel at the end of his trial week?He was smiling, had made new friends and found the other students friendly. He liked how the teachers explained things and had managed all the homework. [00:54]▸ [01:03]▸
- What did Ronald's mother notice after the trial week?She said he talked constantly in the car and got dressed without being woken, urging her not to make him late. She called the change in one week remarkable. [01:22]▸ [01:22]▸ [01:29]▸
- Is there an academic assessment during the trial week?Yes. Ronald completed assessments in mathematics and English. They showed he needed to catch up in mathematics, while his reading and comprehension were appropriate for his grade. [01:39]▸ [01:46]▸
- How has Ronald done since enrolling?Jacqueline says he has had only one sore tummy in the last three years, on a day he went home early with a tummy bug. [01:53]▸ [01:55]▸
In their own words
Longer stretches of the conversation, word for word from the transcript, turn by turn.
Ronald's unhappiness and his first trial week
Note (AI): Traces Ronald's distress at his old school and the change seen by the end of his trial week, told through his two conversations with the headmaster.
Jacqueline Aitchison, host · [00:19]Here is an example in the case of Ronald, a pupil in grade six. He was not enjoying his school experience. He was crying every day when his mom collected him from school. He always complained of a stomach ache in the morning. Sunday afternoons had become a nightmare of shouting, wailing, and tantrums, especially if there was a test on Monday. Ronald's mom had heard about Edu Inc from …
Read the full passage (177 words, 00:19-01:08)
Jacqueline Aitchison, host · [00:19]Here is an example in the case of Ronald, a pupil in grade six. He was not enjoying his school experience. He was crying every day when his mom collected him from school. He always complained of a stomach ache in the morning. Sunday afternoons had become a nightmare of shouting, wailing, and tantrums, especially if there was a test on Monday. Ronald's mom had heard about Edu Inc from a friend of a friend, and she had set up a trial week for him. Initially, Ronald was reluctant. He hated school, all school. His tummy was sore, and he missed his friends. This is what he told the headmaster on his first day of his trial week, when they had their initial conversation. At the end of the week, in his second conversation with the headmaster, he was smiling. He had made new friends, and he couldn't believe how friendly all the other students were. He liked the teachers, and how they explained things, and he had managed all the homework that the teachers had given him.
Mom's feedback, assessment results and outcome
Note (AI): Gives the parent's account of the change, the maths and English assessment findings, and the result three years after enrolment.
Jacqueline Aitchison, host · [01:09]At the trial week feedback meeting, Ronald's mom asked what we had done to his son. He won't keep quiet in the car on the way home. He keeps telling me about what he's learned at school, and what this person said, and what they did at break, and, and, and. I don't even have to wake him up in the morning to get ready for school. He's dressed and …
Read the full passage (194 words, 01:09-02:00)
Jacqueline Aitchison, host · [01:09]At the trial week feedback meeting, Ronald's mom asked what we had done to his son. He won't keep quiet in the car on the way home. He keeps telling me about what he's learned at school, and what this person said, and what they did at break, and, and, and. I don't even have to wake him up in the morning to get ready for school. He's dressed and waiting for me, telling me to hurry up so that he isn't late. The difference in my son in just one week is remarkable. He comes with me to his old school to fetch his sister, and even all the teachers are commenting. On how happy he looks, she added, Ronald completed an assessment for mathematics and English in his trial week, and the results showed that he had some catching up to do with his mathematics. His reading and comprehension were appropriate for his grade, and the teachers really enjoyed having him in their classes. Ronald was enrolled at Education Incorporated, and he's only had one sore tummy in the last three years. He went home early that day with a tummy bug.
Quotes
“every child is required to attend a trial week.”
“Initially, Ronald was reluctant. He hated school, all school.”
“At the trial week feedback meeting, Ronald's mom asked what we had done to his son.”
“I don't even have to wake him up in the morning to get ready for school.”
“The difference in my son in just one week is remarkable.”
“he's only had one sore tummy in the last three years. He went home early that day with a tummy bug.”
What was said, by topic
Trial week process
“In order to see if there's a good fit with Edu Inc, every child is required to attend a trial week.”
“This is a fully immersive experience of the school and allows the child, the family, and the school to see if there is a potential fit before the school begins their investment in educating the child.”
“This is what he told the headmaster on his first day of his trial week, when they had their initial conversation.”
Pupil anxiety and wellbeing
“He was not enjoying his school experience. He was crying every day when his mom collected him from school. He always complained of a stomach ache in the morning.”
“Sunday afternoons had become a nightmare of shouting, wailing, and tantrums, especially if there was a test on Monday.”
“Ronald was enrolled at Education Incorporated, and he's only had one sore tummy in the last three years.”
Settling into a new school
“Initially, Ronald was reluctant. He hated school, all school. His tummy was sore, and he missed his friends.”
“At the end of the week, in his second conversation with the headmaster, he was smiling. He had made new friends, and he couldn't believe how friendly all the other students were.”
“He liked the teachers, and how they explained things, and he had managed all the homework that the teachers had given him.”
Parent feedback
“I don't even have to wake him up in the morning to get ready for school. He's dressed and waiting for me, telling me to hurry up so that he isn't late.”
Academic assessment
“Ronald completed an assessment for mathematics and English in his trial week, and the results showed that he had some catching up to do with his mathematics.”
“His reading and comprehension were appropriate for his grade, and the teachers really enjoyed having him in their classes.”
Episode notes (as published)
From the episode notes published with the podcast.
Children need the structure and predictability. Edu Inc website · Facebook (Public) · Facebook (closed group) · Twitter (closed group) · YouTube · Review us on Google
Every quotation and passage on this page is copied word for word from the episode audio transcript and linked to the moment it was said. Quotations are never written or altered by AI; topic labels, passage notes and the episode analysis are AI-generated. Guest details come from the published episode notes or the guest's own words.