Viewing prospective schools

[ShoutyMcShouty]

Got the morning off tomorrow to look at a prospective primary school. It's not our first choice. I will be unpaid. There is an open evening next week but I wanted to see the school in their "normal" day. Is it worth taking time off work for? I will be viewing our first choice school in a couple of weeks' time.
Feel like a lazy parent not to view more than one school.

I would and I have done for secondary. Wish I'd been so diligent at primary!

You'll regret it later if that's the school you end up with and you haven't seen it.

We only viewed one infants because we were confident on getting in.
If you're liable to end up with this school, then go and view it.

I'm viewing 6! All within a mile and all have kids from our development in them so we have a chance of getting in any. They are all really different so glad I'm making the effort but I'm managing to do it around flexi working so it's a bit easier work wise. I definitely think it's best to see them on a school day

How likely are you to get into your first choice? Not sure I'd take time off work to visit a school unless my child was likely to end up there an I had no alternative (can't you get to open day?)

I’m not sure I’d want to disrupt a school day with a ‘working’ visit. I think teachers and school staff have better things to be doing and would be annoyed if my DCs teachers had to stop working to show prospective parents around.

Thanks everyone. There are these 2 schools that we are eligible for and I've booked to view both. This one tomorrow is running a tour and an open evening next week.
So is it enough to just attend open evening? Will I see enough for a second choice school?
Sorry to drip feed but I'm hesitant to take time off work as I am a teacher myself (secondary). It has however been approved as unpaid.
More issue in the fact that I will miss my lessons.
The other school is our first choice only based on a friend's recommendation. A bit of an insider tip. So really I won't know which one is more suitable for my DC until I see them for myself.
I think I will go. Like some of you said. I might regret it.

I viewed several and I was glad I did. Unless your first choice is a dead cert (live on doorstep and in catchment, ideally with sibling or under-subscribed school) it might be the school you get. I also excluded our previous first-choice from the list entirely after visiting it and included one I didn't think I would.

I went to see all schools on normal school days, and at Primary level didn't move to an area where the school wouldn't let me do that.
I think it is crucial. For Primary Infant schools I found it very informative how the children responded to visitors to the classroom and the Head (all of those visits were lead by the head teacher).

In my experience schools nowadays get quite a few "visitors" and if the visits are well timed they are not disruptive at all.

If you can go on a normal day I would. In every school I ever worked in everything was very shiny and slick on Open Days/Evenings.

Booked tours still have an element of "We'll not go that way because Year4 are riotus and the parents don't need to hear Mrs X losing the plot", but are much more of an honest glimpse imo.