Viewing a school tonight

Maybe the quiet one was very shy or had an SEN. Sounds like they can't win though if the other one was too happy!

In my DD school the student guides are voluntary, my DD have done it every year since she started (yr 9 now). Important for me was that you had a student showing me around: Christ know they are honest! Second thing, which didn't occur to me until after DD started but which have for the last 3 years started to annoy me more and more: ask about block homework. My DD can come home with 4 pieces on the Friday which has to be done by Tuesday or absolutely nothing at all. Drives me mad as if we are going away or she have a netball tournament etc the whole weekend she can only spend maximum a few hours at homework: not the 5 + hours that's needed. Thus is causing major stress in our house as she want to do it but just no time.

Ask if it is possible to be shown round by a sporty/musical/party child (delete as applicable). DD had no interest in seeing music rooms or drama facilities but was very interested in what sports were available and enjoyed being shown round by girls who could answer her questions.

We have been doing the tours recently too. I didn't like two of the heads of the most popular local schools so that was a bit of a disappointment. One school that I wasn't expecting to like at all was absolutely brilliant and is now a front runner completely out of nowhere!

Our nearest school 'requires improvement' and I can't even face going round it Conversely, we went round one school that is a bit tricky to travel to and loved it - it's a real contender - sometimes you do just get a gut feeling about a school. It is pretty stressful trying to choose one though, we have tried to see as many as possible to get a good idea of what is out there.

We also have grammar schools, just to complicate matters

Hope teacher does not work there...
If teacher does Not work there maybe take what they say with pinch of salt as well...

I've been to 3 this week and got another 3 to see. My ds likes 1 so far but I think a different one will suit him better. I'm hoping one of the others will find us agreeing.

All the staff have been very cagey at all the schools. Everyone has said the results are irrelevant this year because of the new exams and theyre not prepared to state either way how the school is doing. I managed to get a few teachers to admit they wouldn't send their children to the school they work at so thats given me more of a reason to not consider those schools.

I wish all schools provided the same level of teaching and support then this wouldn't be such a problem.

You might get the grammar. What percentage get the grammar in your area and is your dd at that level?

But at most open evenings, there will be a range of people available who can answer questions.
A teacher might not know about admissions, but there will usually be someone there from the admin section who does know that stuff - because it's a key area people want to know about. That admin person will usually answer about school transport and other practical issues too, such as free school meals or maybe uniform.
It's fine if every single person at the open evening can't answer every question....as long as they can direct you to someone who can, or are able to put you in touch with someone who will later answer the question.
Open evenings/mornings are all about information provision, not just seeing the shiny water coolers.

Go with lots of questions. If you don't ask, the chances are you wont find out and only hear the glossy spiel.

I’ve heard a lot of wrong information from teachers even deputy heads and heads of year. Those kind of statistics are often in a prospectus or other booklet. Heads often do know but can sometimes be misleading.

"If my child getting in is questionable, I would ask for historic info about kids who fit my DC profile in terms of distance etc." Teachers are not part of the admissions process, and often don't actually fully understand it. Their job is to teach the kids in front of them, not worry about how they did or didn't get there.

Maybe they hired them for the evening. Dd takes a bottle of water to school so wouldn't need a water cooler.

I went last night to DDs current high school but for DS to view. I was very disappointed in how it looks after 12 months with a new head. The school looks sparkly new after thousands spent on refurbishments but the the text books are very old and desperately need to be replaced plus nowhere near enough computers to teach a class of 20 let alone 35 really has made me cross.

They had new water coolers in every corridor that my DD tells me weren't there this week and have been removed today after the open evening.

The comfy chairs we sat on last night in the hall have all gone today.

It looked ok but the staff didn't really know much about the community or results for high mid and low achievers. They just all said the same words so clearly staged.

I would ask a senior teacher about the proportion of low, middle and high achievers and which students they were adding most value to.

I would ask about GCSE options and the numbers which are offered 2 languages or triple science and if there are any other things which are only available to certai X true to and which ones.

If my child getting in is questionable, I would ask for historic info about kids who fit my DC profile in terms of distance etc.

I'd like to know the % going into A Levels and from 6th form into uni and % going onto RG uni.

I might ask about the % playing an instrument or the numbers of Yr7 in a sports team or music group, or the numbers taking DofE at each stage.

If they couldn't tel me any of that stuff (especially the first Q) off the top of their heads, I would want them to find someone who knew or take my details so they could get back to me with answers.

Realise not everyone will be interested in this stuff, but I'm more interested in this than science experiments which are being shown and happen once a year.

That's true claraschu. Our next door neighbour said they'd be happy to send their baby to the local primary as our kids went there and they are nice. I thought "well thanks, but some of the kids there are horrible!"

I think that it is a mistake to be too influenced by the child who shows you around. I have been shown around by several kids who didn't have much to say and didn't have a quirky sense of humour, which put me off the school a bit, but that isn't really fair.

I know that if I got a lively, slightly irreverent, guide, with lots of opinions and a friendly attitude, I would be very impressed with the school, but actually I should just be impressed with the child and his/her family.

We live in a city and the catchments for the good schools are tiny. Our local comprehensive has awful results, but others are worse..one of them was on the tv programme educating....... (insert city). I need to win the lottery to move near a good school. I guess I assumed it was like this everywhere