School tour for in-year transfer?

[ShrinkingViolet982]

I don’t know what is reasonable.

My family and I are moving to a completely new area in 8 weeks and therefore my DS(6; in year 2 of primary school) will need to change schools via an in-year transfer.

There are 5 schools in the local vicinity but none are willing to provide even a brief school tour before I apply for the transfer via the local authority. One school has offered a generic open day 2 weeks before he’d need to start; another says if I accept a place there then I can have a tour before he starts.

Is this the norm? Is it reasonable? I really want to get a sense of the place before I sign my son up to it, especially as whilst he doesn’t have SEN etc, he is extremely shy and daunted about the move.

All my local primary schools happily give a tour if you make an appointment. So no I don't think it's normal. Schools are usually keen to get more pupils if they have space

I think the issue (possibly) is that they don’t have anyone available to do the tour. Schools are really pushed these days.

If you can try to lurk outside the schools at drop off and home time. It will give you a good sense of how they work, ie are staff visible and how are they responding to children, how do the children come out, what is the parking like around the school, what are the parents like.

In this case the school won’t get any money for the OPs child until next year as counting day has been and gone! So an infant school where the children leave at the end of Y2 wouldn’t ever get any money for a child coming in for the remains of the year. 🙁

Do you know if the schools have an available place? They might not allow a tour if they are full.

Not normal at all. I've changed both my children's school three times each (once during covid) so a total of eight schools that I've rang and asked to look round due to an in year transfer (both primary and secondary) and every single place has given me a tour.

Not normal in my experience.