Can you go and look around a state primary school?

[PDR]

We are thinking about sending DS to a private prep school to start in reception in Sept 2012.

I thought we were decided but since going to an antenatal class in a building next to our local state primary, DH now wants to go and have a look around before we make our final decision (need to register DS at private school asap to get a place).

Is it even possible to tour a state school like you do a private school? Am I going to look like an idiot if I ring up and ask?

Or do they have Open Days maybe when anyone can go and have a look around?

Phone the school office and ask if you can come in and be shown round. Any half way decent school will try and find a mutually convenient time. There may be times that just are not good from the school point of view.

We did this with DS's current school before we moved into the area.

No, you won't look like an idiot! We were shown round our children's state primary when we phoned up and asked.

Just phone and ask to go and visit. We did this even though they had open days as we wanted to chat to the head etc and see it operating 'normally' rather than 'on show' for an open day. They were both lovely about it

Of course you can visit! Many have open days, but I'd recommend going to have a look around on an 'ordinary' day - gives you a better idea of what the school is really like. Have a chat with the head and a good look around the classrooms, not just the reception class. Try to speak to some children too. In the school where I work, we ask the children to show round our visitors and answer any questions. They are sometimes a bit more frank than we would like but we think they are our best ambassadors. Just phone up and ask for an appointment.

Ok I'll ring them on Monday :)

Didn't want them to be like "uh no, we've got better things to do like teaching the children"

We have an open morning once a year but prospective parents (and children) are more than welcome to come any time. Our school secretary is often to be seen giving tours to families interested in the school.

Our Head Boy and Girl show visitors around all the time ( and they will let you visit the Head if you want the official version!)

You can tour a state school but you have to give them loads of notice. It takes time to get the dart guns out and tranquillize some of the more challenging pupils, turn off the electric fence, order the security helicopters, immunize you against a range or effective diseases and measure you for your hazchem protection suit.

Don't worry though, you'll have something to talk about at dinner parties for months!

Nonsense Seeker, we just ship the "difficult characters" off to Alton Towers for the day and no-one is any the wiser!

Yes you can tour state schools.

We saw three, they were all happy to pencil visits in the diary. One school did an open evening which was the most useful as there were no kids tearing around so I got to speak to the teachers and actually listen to what the head was saying, she did tell us to come again in the daytime to see it when the children were there too .

Our borough recommends going to look - and apparently you are supposed to be shown around by the head - usually in a group.

It's well worth going to look as the one that everyone raves about around here I didn't like.

Definitely worth looking at all the options before comitting - although on paper a private school is nice it may be that overall you prefer the state one. Stranger things have happened

Should mention that the other ones I saw were lovely and the one that I didn't like was just OK and I'd still be happy for DD to go there.

Realised my post looked a bit doom-mongering!

we try not to show prospective paretns around our local state primary because then they want to save themselves a pile of money and come here instead and we already over-subscribed.

Four open days a year and we have to spray paint the building and leave cigaratte butts around to put people off which is a real chore to clear up afterwards.