To think my friend can't just drop into a school...

[peking]

Unannounced and expect to be shown round?

Friend in question is looking at a private school for her DC in a couple of years' time. She was in the area and dropped in on a school she'd had her eye on for a while (complete with buggy)

When she was telling me about this yesterday, she said the staff seemed quite hassled and there wasn't anyone available to show her around. She waited for a while and did eventually get shown around (by the receptionist) but she just felt like she couldn't ask all the questions she wanted to.

I said (nicely) she should have made an appointment so that the school was ready for her! I likened it to dropping in at the GP and hoping to be seen there and then. She's now taken the huff with me.

AIBU?

YADNBU and I would have thought the school would have asked her to make an appointment and return. I am surprised she didn't get the hint that they didn't have much time for her when he was being kept waiting so long.

I think she felt that being a private school, they should have someone available to do the show-rounds whenever. I said that person might have been run off their feet too but she just doesn't get it

YANBU and I'm very surprised anyone showed her round at all. Loon.

I would have thought any decent school would have an open door policy (as much as possible)

Parents looking around want to see the real thing and not just the "we have visitors coming" version.

Ok you may have to wait a while but at a school no reason they can't ask some of the older pupils to show people around

YANBU.

She should have made an appointment. Why is her time more important?!

Ask her how she would feel if her DC were at that school and the teacher left the classroom they were in to go and show some random around the school. That might make her think!

Sirzy, what, apart from disrupting their lessons?

Sirzy- schools are so busy and everyone working there has jobs to do every minute of every day. Having been on a couple of organised school visits recently I'm just grateful for the head teacher's time. OP your friend was definitely unreasonable and I'm quite shocked that people think a school can just drop everything to show round a random person off the street who has no appointment.

Our school have an open door policy in so far as they don't have an open day where the school is spruced up and the kids bribed to be on their best behaviour, but they do expect you to make an appointment.

The staff all have jobs to do, they're not all sitting around waiting for something to do, so someone may not be free to drop everything and show someone around.

YADNBU. Of course she should have made an appointment!! Is your friend from abroad and therefore used to a different system? She sounds a bit entitled, tbh, and an attitude like that is not going to endear her to the registrar. She may well find herself off the list if it's a sought after type of school.

She should have had an appointment. I used to show parents round when I was at school but only when I was in sixth form and not in lessons. The headmaster used to stick his head round the common room door ask who was free and then introduce whoever it was to the parents as "one of our top students, heading for university"

Maybe she thinks because she's going to pay she's doing them a favour by gracing them with her presence?

As for pupils showing some random person around... I can't even get past the reception of my child's school without completing a massive disclosure form and paying a small admin fee so I would think it is extremely unlikely some poor kid will be pulled out of lessons to roam the corridors with someone who just turns up unannounced despite it being a school she has supposedly "had her eye on for a while".

YANBU. She is a wally.

A lot of parents feel that if they are paying then they can call the shots. My DD was in private for infants and some of juniors and I saw it a lot. people walking in and demanding to see the HT about something minor...and getting all "I pay a LOT for this school!" and outraged if they were not dealt with as they saw fit...people think if you pay, then you're a sort of a customer who can demand things....it's not like that though!

My sons primary let the Y6 children show parents around. This is not a private school though.