When to go to open days / evenings ?

[CheshireDing]

Pfb starts primary in September 2016, but as I am supposed to fill in the form this October and put my preferences how do I know which school to put as first choice ?

Are we supposed to go on viewings a whole 18 months before ?

Sorry might be a dim question but I have never looked at schools from a Parental view before and just a bit confused.

Normally schools have open days for prospective Reception parents after the Summer holidays, around October-December. We contacted the schools in our area just before they broke for Summer and we were advised that dates will be published mid-September.

Cut-off for application for primary is normally January, you can start earlier but mostly parents with children already in school do this. We finished everything by Christmas.

Thanks, am still a bit confused though as last year I saw a poster which said we had to apply in October (for the following years admission).
I then read that if you want to appeal you have unil March (of the same year they go to school).
So do you think I should be contacting the schhols this June-ish time then to check when their open days are ?

If you are in England and applying to a state primary, the applications open in the October before your child starts school. The deadline for applications to be handed in by is the 15th January. All applications received by this date will be treated the same, so there is no advantage by getting the form in earlier.

The results of applications will be sent to you at the Henning of April. At this point some LA's might specify an amount of time you have to appeal the decision. This helps them to organise appeals, however you can still appeal after this date.

Yes, Henning was exactly what I wanted to write, autocorrect

Obviously that should be beginning of April.

If you are in England, you now apply in January for the following September.
You get told where you've been allocated in March. You can appeal anytime after that, and go on waiting lists. (You can only appeal once for each school, each academic year unless something major changes.)

I would start going to look at schools about now if you are going to apply next January. You want as far as possible to see schools on a normal working day. They won't want you in SATs week (May sometime) and after that it becomes less "normal" as year 6 go on trips, there is sports days and other end of term stuff. September and October are busy with open days/evenings - which are the marketing bit. Then Christmas is full of tiredness and plays.

Ahh thank you all. Will start to investigate.