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Original poster

What should send me running (secondary school visit)?

31 replies

redskybynight · 02/10/2014 11:51

OK, so slightly tongue in cheek, but we will be visiting DS's prospective secondary school soon. Based on where we live and the primary school he goes to, it's the only school within striking distance that we are likely to get into (and the schools not within striking distance that we would get into are all significantly worse - on paper anyway).

Our "choice" is therefore

  • he goes there OR
  • we hate the school so much that we have to think of a plan B (not clear what that might be).

So, I'm not after constructive questions to ask and positive things to spot. I'm after things that would be a complete "no" in a school that we should worry about. Also I guess things that might be a "hmm" that we could live with but might want to keep an eye on/mitigate elsewhere.

OP posts:
ElephantsNeverForgive · 02/10/2014 14:04

Parents around business.

He really didn't seem to care if we came or not.

Seemed an odd attitude when birth rate was falling and he needed pupils that year and younger siblings even more.

ElephantsNeverForgive · 02/10/2014 14:01

I hasn't at all taken with the HT who looked utterly disinterested in the whole welcoming and showing parents business.

Ericaequites · 02/10/2014 13:58

Filthy loos would send me running. Grammatical or spelling errors of displayed papers would be another no for me. A lack of streaming or setting would be another untenable situation.

KittiesInsane · 02/10/2014 13:50

Run away from any school that claims to have no bullying.

It means they do, but ignore it when it happens.

NotTheKitchenAgainPlease · 02/10/2014 13:27

Visit again at home time. See how the kids look and behave on the way out.

mychildrenarebarmy · 02/10/2014 13:19

The one that we absolutely hated didn't have bathrooms for the students to use, they had toilet cubicles that were between classrooms. If we hadn't already seen enough to put us off the layout of those, plus the smell, would have done it. It screamed no privacy and no trust to me.