Has anyone made school choices without looking round?

[Haylstones]

We live very close to our local school (2 min walk) and have put it down as our first choice. Second choice school is slightly further, probably a 25 minute walk. We have made these choices without looking round any schools- we have looked at Ofsted reports but tbh they wouldn't have influenced our decisions. The basis for our 1st choice decision was from knowing other parents who have children at the school, the distance from home, generally good reputation and (this one will sound silly) from hearing the children in the playground both during lessons and free time they all sound really happy. Second choice was for similar reasons, 3rd and 4th we know to be good schools and the next closest.
We were happy with making this decision without looking round but I'm now thinking it may help dd if she has a look round what will hopefully be her school in September (plus everybody else I've spoken to has done rounds and rounds of all the local schools, comparing notes etc, making me feel real like I haven't made enough effort)

Maybe I should have put this in the AIBU topic but I'd appreciate your thoughts on it.

He's the teacher's pet lol!

We didn't look. Close walking distance and same school as most neighbours (not being the odd weird family sending children off to a different one for vague reasons) were very important to us, and our catchment school was best for those. But it was easy not to visit as the school's general rep was good and Ofsted and results good (and better than others locally) for us not to have concerns there. Also I knew a TA who worked there and felt happy that there was no huge unknown problem to put us off.

Also, if we had visited, I'd have probably ended up taking against it on some irrational grounds like not liking the feel of the dining hall or worrying that it looked as though a certain door didn't lock solidly (PFB worries!). A year and a bit into eldest dc's school life, I now know some of what I would want to be looking for/asking in a school visit - but I didn't then so it wouldn't have done us any good!

I didn't look round any of the schools I put down. I chose them due to their reputations, results, location.

Your DD will get invited to a visit anyway before she starts so it isn't vital that she goes now - she will probably forget/not be interested anyway!