How many visits can you/should you/could you do without looking OTT

[tryingtobemarypoppins2]

of your child's first school?

[bluegiraffe]

we went twice to 2 of the four we visited, once to 1 (just to see what all the fuss was about, and couldn't see WATFWA...) and three times to our 'favourite'!!: the average twice was once just hubby and self and once with DD to gauge her reaction/opinion; the additional third time for the favourite was mainly because the headteacher changed during the application period so we wanted to meet her (she's great btw - we got a place at this school :-))

I'd say don't worry too much about seeming to be overdoing it - it's a huge decision, so if you feel you need to go again (and again!) then by all means ask to - but be aware that schools often restrict visiting to certain group sessions and days and times and can't always be totally flexible as it is quite disruptive to lesson time ...

and Good Luck!!

[lalanamechanged]

Are you kidding me bluegiraffe? I don't think visiting 4 schools once is OTT and I can understand wanting to see the new head teacher but the rest of the times??!! Imagine if everyone who might have a vague chance of getting in did that? For a 3 form entry school (normal for here) that would be hundreds of visits to the school between October and December.

I would also recommend against taking your child to see what they think of it, they will just like the one that has the best toys in the reception unit or where the kids are allowed to stop what they are doing to come and talk to them.

[An0therName]

have to say I didn't visit any schools but that was because there was only one school that was possible - live in a village - and my BFF had her son in the nursery and was very happy - I was also pretty certain we would get in as we lived v close
I can't see why you would want to visit a school more than 2 times max and for me 1 time would be enough mostly
I agree about not being helpful for your child to visit - my friend's DS didn't want to go to a school because they have trikes with trailers and he got in to his head he would have to give children rides on the trailers all the time

[bluegiraffe]

erm.. ok lalanamechanged - let me put it into perspective - we visited our catchment school the first time when DD was still 2, to look at the nursery and then the second time (a year later) joined one of their set group visits for the Reception tour ... the other school we felt we needed to see again as the first visit we'd been taken on was the day before the school broke up for Christmas, half the staff were off sick and there were no lessons taking place! - two of the classes were sitting in darkness watching films and so we didn't feel it was a true representative visit and they were happy for us to go at a more "normal" time.
Taking our DD with us was accepted and welcomed by all the schools and why shouldn't she be included in the decision-making process - it's her that has to spend time there not us!!

[EBDteacher]

An0thername it's one thing if you have no choice- but you surely aren't suggesting people with a choice wouldn't want to visit??

Primary schools are all so different (and once having had a peripatetic teaching role across a whole county I can say that with more information than most!). I personally would not send my DS to a school I hadn't seen for myself.

I would not say visiting twice was OTT. Schools can feel very different on different days depending on what's going on that week/ the time of year etc.

I've been to the open days of the pre-prep and prep I've signed registration forms for and will be booking private tours a bit nearer the time before we accept places.

[sparkle12mar08]

I didn't visit any schools at all for ds1 for primary. Where I live parental choice is a complete myth because the town is so heavy with families anyway, and the roads around all schools are all family only houses for the most part. Catchments are as small as 250m in some cases. So the only choice is what house you buy in the first place. After that you get what you're given, basically.

However if I did have a true choice, two or three times depending on circumstances doesn't seem unreasonable to me.

[DownyEmerald]

Some friends of ours visted our school at least twice, and also hung around outside at pick up time soliciting view from existing parents.

They went to lots because they lived in a bit of black hole for village schools so had lots that were an equally far distance IYSWIM. I think ours was one of the favourites so had the extra treatment.