Visiting private primary schools - do fathers wear suits at school tours?

[Lily7050]

We have booked visits to private primary schools this September-October.
Child's father is wondering whether children's fathers usually wear suits at school tours?

They won’t give a monkeys what you wear, it’s your money they are interested in!

My DS is going to an applicants event at the public school his dad works at shortly. Parents are invited too.

DH has seen many, many of these events and says both parents and children should just wear regular clothes. DS will wear blue jeans and a clean hoodie. DH says every year some families turn up dressed up to the nines (think 10 year olds in tweed 3 piece suits) and it's just utterly unnecessary.

We didn't worry much at all about how we looked. A bit nicer but not a suit or anything. Our son was taken away for testing while we got a tour. After an hour he was given a placement as he did well in the testing. He ended up never attending as we couldn't really afford it in the end.

OP in the nicest possible way most of these schools are desperate for your cash - it’s a very hard time to be a prep school, they are having a shocker post COVID with budgets, and due to a general down turn in spending on primary education (slight upturn for 6th form). You could wear your birthday suits and if they need the numbers you will be in. They are first and foremost a business - well the ones that are surviving are anyway.

Can I jump in and ask what parents and children tend to wear when going on private boarding school tours and meet the head days? It's on a Saturday if that makes a difference!

@Hoopa

OP in the nicest possible way most of these schools are desperate for your cash - it’s a very hard time to be a prep school, they are having a shocker post COVID with budgets, and due to a general down turn in spending on primary education (slight upturn for 6th form). You could wear your birthday suits and if they need the numbers you will be in. They are first and foremost a business - well the ones that are surviving are anyway.

Yes, 2 previously well respected private schools have closed near me in the past year due to financial issues. Horrid for all the families who had barely any notice to find a new school!

I work in a private Prep. We really don’t care what parents wear, we just want to get to know you and your child. Times are indeed hard in our sector, but we still want to be a good fit for your child.

I do judge a bit if one or both parents spends much of the visit on their phone.

I live near a tip Public school and the prospective Dads don't wear suits. It's mostly chinos and a blazer. The Mums wear some very strange outfits.

I remember bumping into one prospective mum who looked like she’d just got off her pony. I suspect she hadn’t but she had on the jodhpurs and riding boots and polo shirt - but all designer labels.

Her husband was some footballer or other from... not sure where (somewhere mainland Europe).

I wouldn't wear jeans and T-shirt. The parents on tours at our school do all have men in suits or at least very smart casual. We've had kids at both private and state and the way the parents dress is noticeably
different. It's disingenuous to say otherwise. The lack of overweight parents especially mums at the private schools always stands out to me.

@SloopB

I wouldn't wear jeans and T-shirt. The parents on tours at our school do all have men in suits or at least very smart casual. We've had kids at both private and state and the way the parents dress is noticeably different. It's disingenuous to say otherwise. The lack of overweight parents especially mums at the private schools always stands out to me.

I’m a bit fat but I find that a lot of the mums at the DC Private school are at are pretty slim and glam. Lots of Lycra clad Gym bunnies

At certain schools a crozier and mitre would help, sometimes full Masonic colours or a Ninja costume.
Depends on the school!

@hoppinggreen @sloopb I am a size 10/12, bmi 24 and am by far and away the fattest mum at the school gates and both DCs big private schools. I feel absolutely enormous.

And I’d keep your money to pay for a private secondary school, that’s where it counts ( if it counts, which I honestly doubt)

Smart casual. Child is best in something Bodenish. Designer label clothing is very infra dig at all the independent schools my children have attended.

@MisgenderedSwan

Can I jump in and ask what parents and children tend to wear when going on private boarding school tours and meet the head days? It's on a Saturday if that makes a difference!

@MisgenderedSwan. Smart casual. Easier for men than women - chinos, shirt, tie, blazer or tweed jacket, brogues. Suit would also be ok, though not remotely expected. I can't remember exactly what I wore, but it would have been something like a knee lenght cord skirt, smart shirt (i.e. one with a collar - nothing t-shirty), decent coat/jacket (tweed or plain coloured), and knee length boots that I could walk in. Definitely no anoraks, puffer jackets, trainers etc. I would also eschew jeans of any description!

@BoardingSchoolMater thank you! I was thinking I'd wear one of the dresses I wear to the office with decent shoes. I'll tell dh to get his smart clothes sorted!

hilarious thread. surely no one has worn chinos for the last 20 years?

any school selecting kids based on what the fathers/mothers/kids wear is one best avoided surely??

for reference the 11+ interview days there were kids in old jeans and kids in shiny prep school uniforms covered in badges. made not one jot of a difference.

It’s the same sort of investment as buying a flat. Wear what you would wear if you were viewing a house.

What do you mean people don’t wear chinos? It’s the ‘casual’ norm in business ‘round my neck of the woods.

Chinos are a City staple now most places have gone to business casual or dress for your day dress codes.

Chinos are common here. Basically trackies, jeans, chinos/cords, suit, is the hierarchy from about 12 up. There are the ridiculous red trousered lot too but personally not in my house

I’ve got 2 pairs of girlfriend chinos from Hush

apologies to the chino brigade - dh is in advertising and his business casual is definitely posh jeans now.

but really are you getting your kids aged over 12 to wear chinos/cords?!

Haven't read the rest of the responses but literally peeing myself laughing.

My husband wore shorts and flip flops and I came wearing school run "active wear" !!