^The Autumn leaves are turning to gold and the season of School Open Days is upon us. So parents of Year 5 and Year 6 children will soon be surrendering their Saturday morning lie-in to a round of crowded school tours.
Angela Drew, Headmistress of Bromley High School gives us her tips.^
1. Do your homework
Before you start, talk to your child’s current school. An experienced Junior Head will know which local schools will stretch an able musician and which schools specialise in nurturing less confident learners – so they are an invaluable source of informed advice about which schools might bring out the best in your child.
2. Use electronic intelligence
A bright, well designed website inspires confidence but look carefully at the ‘News’ section and at the school’s Twitter and Facebook accounts. If interesting events are coming thick and fast and if the school is celebrating a steady stream of successes across a range of academic and co-curricular activities then this is likely to be a school where there will be plenty of opportunities for your child to flourish.
3. Create a shortlist
It is very important for a child to feel that they have had some say in their choice of secondary school but it makes life much easier if they are choosing between just two or three options. So do some scouting on your own when your child is in Y4 before deciding which schools to tour with your son or daughter in Y5 or 6.
4. Allow the open day to be a special day for your child
An Open Day should be a special day for your Y5 or Y6 child and if you have the chance to leave younger brothers and sisters with granny for the morning, take it. Grammar school Open Days can be so packed with prospective pupils and parents and some independent schools are blessed with such sprawling campuses that younger children quickly become overtired and overwhelmed. A lengthy school tour with several wailing younger siblings in tow can be an ordeal which will hinder you getting the best from the opportunity.
5. The Head’s speech
Many parents place a great significance on the Head’s Speech as a determining factor in selecting a school. Nonetheless, eloquence can offer style over substance and I have known excellent Heads who were not particularly good public speakers. Yet parents are right to look for a Head whose words have the capacity to inspire. Your child will hear the Head speak at hundreds of assemblies – it’s important to have confidence that they will be listening to something worthwhile.
6. Ask questions
The pupil guide is a mine of information and much can be gleaned from her manners, her uniform, her enthusiasm for her school and her teachers. Are these the attitudes and behaviours that you wish to see in your own son or daughter?
Sixth Formers will be accomplished tour guides but on Open Days, even the youngest pupils will be used as tour guides, so think of some questions in advance to open up conversation if your guide is a little shy at first. Questions you might ask are ‘What are your favourite lessons?’ ‘Do you get to use the computers much?’ ‘How much homework do you get a night?’ ‘What are lunches like?’ ‘What activities are you involved in?’ ‘If you play for a team, have you had many fixtures this term?’ ‘What three words would you use to describe the school?’ ‘What did you find most difficult when you joined the school?’ ‘What was the best thing about Year 7?’’How many pupils are in your form class?’
7. Look closely at the classrooms
Whatever the beautiful specialist facilities in a school, your child will spend most of their day in a classroom. That’s why school inspectors spend a lot of time looking at classroom walls. Are the classrooms bright and well maintained? Is the work on the walls varied, interesting and of high quality? If there are books on display, are they well marked with encouraging comments on how the work can be improved upon.
8. Come back
Informative though they may be, Open Days are rather artificial occasions when everyone is especially welcoming and smiley. If you are really committed to the school, then ask to come back for a private tour or book your child into a Taster Day when you can have a much more tailored and individual experience of the school on a normal day.
9. Trust your instincts
Choosing a school is like buying a house. Whatever the objective considerations, it just has to feel right. If you are convinced that this is a place where your child will be happy and if your child emerges from the day looking bright-eyed and eager, then 10 minutes further on the bus or 10 places lower in the League Tables, shouldn’t sway your decision.