Going round a school tomorrow for DD

[rebl]

We're going to go and visit a private school tomorrow for dd. Its our last option open to us really. We don't know how much of a bursary they could offer and we would need a substantial bursary to be able to afford for her to go.

What do we need to be looking for and asking about? I don't want to just be wow wow wow and not ask any questions! I'm guessing that quite frankly given the comparison its going to be wow to us even if its not good. So what do we need to ask and look out for?

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

Don't have any experience of public school but how about asking about the bullying policy, a menu for the school meals, what kit they will require and if the extracurricular activities are extra.

My friends DC attend the local public school, they offer a bursary of £1k per term to some gifted children and the activities are included. Uniform is tres expensive though.

[Onlyaphase]

Look at their most recent school report on this site from the Independent Schools Inspectorate before you go. See what the recommendations were and ask the school tomorrow how they plan to implement these. It will also give you a handle on the school and how they operate, which will help formulate your opinions and questions for tomorrow.

[LIZS]

also look it up on schools.net. Any issues raised worth asking about. Also where the kids go on to afterwards, what awards achieved. Means of integrating new kids and motivating them.

[rebl]

Thanks for those links. Very useful.

[ChazsBrilliantAttitude]

Quick Thoughts
Do the staff know the childrens' names and do they speak to them if they walk past?
Are you able to speak to the children yourself and / or observe a lesson?
Is there wrap around care (should you need it)?
What extras do you have to pay for on top of the fees e.g. music lessons, lunches etc.
Are there after school activities?

[mousehole]

Where do the year 6 children go - do they feed into state schools at all or you might find that you child will have no peer group to go to big school with. Do they have buddies for a while to help them settle.

Assuming no sats - how do they measure individual progression. Do they set later on - do they have separate maths and English specialised teachers - what clubs are there and how much do they cost

[Roo83]

It might be worth looking around a few private schools so you are comparing like with like. We have been looking for ds-the first private school was wow....however, after looking round two others we had a much better idea of what we liked/disliked about each.