School open days

[MamaRaisingBoys]

The school I’m looking at offers 2 session times to look around. Is it best to go during the day when the kids are in school or in the evening when it’s empty?

Wondering if it’s worth booking time off work for? Thanks

I’d go when the kids are in - you’ll get a much better feel for the ethos etc

That’s what I was thinking, thanks

Definitely go when the children are there.

Is this secondary or primary?

When you say 'evening, when it's empty' do you mean no children or staff, just someone showing you round? Or is it actually (like at most secondary schools) an all singing all dancing open sessions where you can chat to staff and some current pupils?

Ha yes the evenings are far from empty! Heaving in my experience.

I found both really useful, and really really different. Can you do both?

For secondary, the evenings give you more chance to ask specific questions if you have them (of both subject staff and random kids), and to 'sell' the school to your child. But they can be a bit over whelming.

The tours in the day time give you more of a chance to see every day stuff like behaviour in corridors between lessons (and behaviour in lessons). Our school uses y9 'tour guides' (specially selected) to tour parents round plus a chat with a member of SLT at the end.

I always go to a day time one when classes are going on, you definitely get a feel over behaviour etc. Evenings are also good, but it's very set up. It doesn't give a true representation of the school IMO

It’s a primary school so sounds like a day visit is the way to go, thanks