When viewing prep schools...

[oldbeforetime]

do you take your children with you?

I haven't previously - but things seem to have changed, or the schools have changed, and they now want me to bring child with me.

Is this to give me incentive not to view many schools?

I don't want to confuse a 6 year old with which school they could/not go to.

I like to go get a feel for a place and if I like it would then go back with child.

But am I in the minority for doing this?

Having children at 3 different prep schools over the years, I have always viewed the school without the child first. The child first sees it on assessment day ime.

I took my DS with me. No choice as had no childcare. It gives you a feel as to how the teachers interact with your child and the other children. If you take a 6 year old just explain that you are only looking. The only problem with my DD is that she would tell everybody!

Telling everyone -
There is that consideration as well - but fortunately different enough from current school that I think I can give reasons without offending (too much).

I took them to open mornings (at weekends), but not when we had an individual appointment to be shown round.

I certainly wouldn't take a child out of school aged 6 to see another one. Suprised they are asking them to come - around Chelsea they don't. Open days at weekends are more of a goer, but if you have time for them to have another chance (and probably at the assessment is enough) I wouldn't take them to many. I took my DS to one just to see what larger schools were like, but there is a danger that the fix randomly on, for instance, the lovely doughnuts, and then only want to go there.

I wouldn't take a child out, just tell them you are coming on your own as you want to concentrate fully on the tour.

Mind you there are mothers that take their kids everywhere. I was at a Harrow open day a couple of years ago and there was a woman with three kids under five and a seven year old who went round the school on a scooter!

I agree with you, OP.
Vet them on your own first and then take the DC only to the short-listed. It's a bit unfair to little ones to dangle something in front of them and then say 'no' for grown-up reasons that they don't necessarily understand.

Agree with short-list only. If fact for DC2, he only saw one school before he did the exams, and it was the one which we had decided was the one for him if he passed, as asi ti was his bro' scholl he had already een there umpteen times. The others he only saw on the day of the exam - did not seem to phase him at all. Given that when he had interviews his own preference was skewed by the one that gave him the best biscuit (which was not our choice or finally chosen) we felt that this has been the best approach in our case

Good mn jury has decided - if the schools question why ds not with me it'll be for that reason 'mn told me it was best not'