If you go to look around a school (when moving area) would you expect to be shown around by the head (or teacher) or not?

[Loueytb3]

We're moving. We've looked around 3 schools so far in the new location. At 2 of the schools we have been shown around by the head. Loved both. One has space for 1 child but not the other. The other has no space currently.

At the third school we were shown around by a member of the office staff. The head was in a classroom (but not teaching) but didn't come and talk to us. Nor did any of the teachers. We both came away feeling a bit deflated about the school but I don't know if we are being unreasonable. This school has places for both children.

Now have a dilemma on our hands because admissions are refusing to give out any information about waiting lists until after we apply. But the waiting lists might affect which schools we apply to.

If you moved schools (in-year admissions) - were you shown around by the head?

Good ...I'd be appalled if teachers weren't teaching and leaving TAs in charge

I agree that it isn't necessary for a teacher or HT to do the tour or even actually to be available at the time of the tour. It would be good when tours are booked for it to be made clear to parents what the likely situation is - ie someone from our office will be able to show you around.

It is worth recognising that as someone said up thread, not everyone wants to see the HT or to ask many questions. Lots of people simply don't feel any need to. Fine - the HT doesn't need to see them, however, even they probably appreciate the offer of an opportunity to ask questions if needed.

It would seem a good idea if a non-teacher/HT does a tour that it ends with the offer to either see and speak to a teacher/HT then or that a chance to do that can be arranged at a later point if required. Not to acknowledge that parents may well have questions which requires an academic member of staffs input seems very odd to me.

Perhaps it depends on the school and area. Perhaps in some areas with lots of assertive middle class parents, it is offered, because asking questions is simply the norm. Perhaps in other areas, very few parents have questions which need an academic member of staff to answer. I don't know. I guess some schools simply make a bigger effort to be approachable and deliver a positive outward appearance than other schools do.

I totally agree that teacher/HT leading tours or having chats with prospective parents needs managing so it doesn't disrupt other activities with children or running the school too much. However, the se ALWAYS ways to manage these things to make them work, such as only allowing tours once a term or on fixed dates, or only making appointments for parents with HT after a tour has already occurred with other staff (to establish genuine interest) and then only at times to suit the HT which won't impede other school activities. There are always ways and it is up to the school to manage times and make it work for them, but to provide a chance to ask.

I do not accept that any school can argue with integrity that it is simply not possible for a prospective parent to be able to ask a teacher or HT a question at any point, or through any medium. I would see such a response as totally unacceptable and uncommon.

Unfortunately, what can sometimes happen is that some office staff who take tours can pmake it seem as if this is the case. They feel they are protecting the Head or Teachers...and to a point this is correct, but to deliver a message that it will never be possible to ask Qs of a teacher or HT is taking this too far and would probably horrify the HT.

The Head will often go in in the holidays to meet parents of prospective pupils in my experience

Whaaaat? Not in this universe.

Oh dear, I didn't know my standards were so low, mrz So in your school who does the tours? Is there the opportunity to ask a teacher or HT anything at any point? Genuinely wondering, as it seems so at odds of my experiences in schools.

In my school the head generally shows new parents and children around. If parents want to talk to individual teachers they can make an appointment outside of teaching hours

Does anyone work in a school or have experience of situations where it has not been possible to ask a Q of a HT or teacher, even at another time than the tour? If so, how did you respond to that situation?

And this just makes me think about independent schools and the difference that can exist. In those schools the HT would always meet prospective parents. They may well not do the tours. These maybe done by pupils or by another memeber of staff - perhaps a Deputy or an office member. However, the HT would be around at some point. This might be in a talk to a group of parents or over coffee or in a 1-2-1 meeting. Asking Qs would be encouraged and welcomed.

I know that parents are the paying customer to be wooed in such schools and this makes a difference. However, in all schools, the school needs parents to want to send their children there and to be able to attract parents who start from a good understanding of what the school is all about, which is often gleaned by asking questions, surely benefits the school. I know how pushed everyone in state schools is and I agree that children in the school shouldn't keep being abandoned while their teacher pops out to speak with constant parents touring. That doesn't have to happen though does it. Senior management teams can arrange short appointments at times that work or as mentioned before, deal with groups periodically. It should be possible to make happen and if schools can't make it possible, I would say they are neglecting part of their job - it may not be the most important aspect of their work, but prospective parents is certainly part of the job.

I was shown round by a child who was on an internal exclusion (I discovered afterwards) initially. The child was really positive about the school though, felt that the teachers were great that bad behaviour was dealt with well, that work was interesting and sport and PE was a big part of the school day. I then met the HT who answered any questions. When I took dd to look round later the same week the HT showed us round himself.

So in your school, it would be reasonable to assume you'd chat to a member of SLT (HT). Which was the OP's question. I wouldn't expect to get a class teacher if the Head was available - it's just that some posters seem to be suggesting that it's unreasonable to talk to either a HT or a member of SLT during school hours for a booked appointment that the school could schedule.

Mrs - that is great to hear.
I don't think most people viewing a school have a need to speak to an individual, specific class teacher. Office staff can often answer many questions, but some academic and pastoral questions do need an academic memeber if staff - the HT would be great and ideal. In my mind, a class teacher wouldn't be quite so useful in terms of having the overview of the school and driving the ethos, but would usually be perfectly good enough for academic and pastoral questions if a Head or Deputy were unavailable.

I cannot say I have ever heard if classroom teachers running tours or saying more than a brief 'hello' to parents on tour. Perhaps if office staff are leading a tour and know there will be no chance to see the HT or other academic member of staff at the end, they might ask a class teacher to pop out for a word because they cannot answer from a teachers viewpoint. I can see how this would happen, but not ideal at all or to en encouraged, and really down to the school not having in place a more appropriate way to ask questions of academic staff. This puts the office staff in a tricky position, puts the teaching staff in a tricky position and really is down to poor management of tours by the senior management. Hopefully rare...but perhaps ore common than we would hope.

I have been on tours led by an office member and not been offered to a chance to speak to the HT or academic staff. I have always then asked for a chance to do so. On a couple of occasions I have been given the chance to speak to someone straight away, once to arrange another appointment and once was told that would not be possible.

With the 'not possible' place, I wasn't keen already by that point so just mentioned I was surprised and a bit disappointed by that, but took it no further. If it had been a school I was still really keen on, I would have pushed a bit harder to make sure I did speak to someone at some point.

Goodness, sounds like I tour schools constantly!
We live in a separate infant and junior school area which doubles the amount of viewings needed. Lots of small schools and actually a reasonable amount of choice, so many people view several and quite a lot move mid year too because of the choice of schools and the fact that a number of people seem to relocate abroad which frees places.
There is also quite a lot of shift from state to independent sector throughout infant school and particularly at the start of Yr 3 or Yr5 .......lots of chances to at least consider moving.
And really interesting to see how different schools do it and how they pranged from those who bend over backwards to create a fantastic impression (often Prep schools - full cream tea laid on for visitors at one) to a total lack of interest in the visitor at another. Most though seemed to get the balance right. Tour was often with a child or office staff member followed by a short chance to speak to the Head or Deputy - perfectly good enough.

Often parents who are moving children mid year want to discuss specific issues (child was unhappy in previous school/child struggled in previous school/child struggles with friendship/ child has medical needs/ family breakdown among other thing). As SENCo parents often want reassurance from me that their child will be supported. These conversations take place outside of normal teaching time.

When parents are touring the school the head will introduce staff members in each class but that is all.

ChocolateWombat at the moment we don't have any office staff.

As I said earlier NoSquirrels if a parent had made an appointment to view my school the head would show them around. If they just turned up without an appointment the head may not be available so they would need to make arrangements for another time.

Just seen there are a load of new replies!

All three schools we have looked at are all one-form entry (bar a bulge class or two), so are small schools so it can't be that there are more staff available in some versus others. The schools are all within a mile of each other. The first school (which was full) was probably the most justified in asking a member of the office staff to show us around, yet the head spent a long time talking with us and giving us a tour. The school where the office lady showed us around has 5 spaces in one year group (out of 30) and spaces in most other year groups. You would think that they would want to fill the places really as surely that affects their funding? Perhaps the reason it hasn't filled up is because people are being put off in comparison with other schools where the head is showing them round. It is a faith school, I'm not sure if that is having an effect as well.

When I phoned to make the appointment, all I specified was could we come on Friday morning (as we were going to see another school in the afternoon). There was no discussion/mention that we could come then but the head would be unavailable to speak to us. I suspect that for this school the office staff generally do the tour.

If there are lots of parents coming around all the time, I can imagine that it's incredibly time consuming, but then in that situation, as someone suggested, I would have time slots for several parents to come around at once.

MarysPlace – the school fair was the next day and we were already tied up with kids parties etc otherwise we would have probably gone.

But I felt like I got a better feel for the school seeing how the head interacted with the other staff and students.
The school we chose was one where we was shown round by the head and called every student we seen by name.

This exactly!

The irony is that DS3 will almost certainly have to go to the faith school as it is the only one with space for his year. So at some point I will go back and ask to speak to the head. I'm just waiting for the admissions system to open again as they've shut until 1st July.