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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Applying for primary schools - viewing

18 replies

TooBusyGazingAtStarss · 14/11/2023 21:16

Do or should parents view every school you list?
I have a 3 year old starting next year and have missed most opens days the local primary schools have given - some have been good to offer an appointment on another day.

But I was just wondering do people go and see them all?
To me, they're all the same really, and the differences you can see on their website or ofsted reports.

What is the general consensus in regards to viewing the schools you apply for you child?

Thanks!

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PrudeyTwoShoes · 14/11/2023 21:27

As a primary school teacher, I would say that it's good to visit if you can. You can often get a really good 'feel' of the place when you visit; sometimes a school might look great online but something doesn't feel right (or vice versa).

MrsH497 · 14/11/2023 21:30

PrudeyTwoShoes · 14/11/2023 21:27

Totally agree with this. I viewed one Monday that looked amazing online and I just didn't feel it was "right" couldn't see my daughter there. Saw another that I felt I guess impartial do and LOVED it.

mynameiscalypso · 14/11/2023 21:35

We didn't. We were pretty sure of the one DS would get into.

APurpleSquirrel · 14/11/2023 21:35

Definitely visit if you can. We assumed we'd send our DC to our catchment school but after visiting it we disliked it for so many reasons. In contrast, the school is written off, was amazing when I visited & now both my DC go there & it was definitely the right choice.

APurpleSquirrel · 14/11/2023 21:36

School I'd written off!

Original poster

TooBusyGazingAtStarss · 14/11/2023 21:36

What doesn't feel right though? I don't get it..
Im not sure what I'm looking at or for tbh!

OP posts:

catsnore · 14/11/2023 21:43

Sometimes it just feels 'right' for your child. A bit like buying a house really - you get a gut feeling.

I went to our catchment school, which had a fantastic reputation, excellent Ofsted report and everyone went on about. I didn't like it at all. The layout, the staff, even the head! Just didn't feel right. Sent my kid to a school further away which just felt right the minute I walked in.

APurpleSquirrel · 14/11/2023 21:45

TooBusyGazingAtStarss · 14/11/2023 21:36

What doesn't feel right though? I don't get it..
Im not sure what I'm looking at or for tbh!

It's hard to describe, but yeah you get a feel or feeling for the place as you're walking around. You try & envisage your child in that school.
For us it was a mixture of the poor practicalities (few opportunities to do swimming/forest school), the head ditching us for the tour onto a poor unsuspecting & unprepared SENCO worker (DC does not have SEND), religious school etc. As well as just it not feel right when we were there. I didn't like it. The SENCO worker couldn't answer our questions, we felt very sidelined so yeah just not a good impression.
Whereas the other school - head showed me round, answered all my questions, lots of great opportunities etc, it felt like we mattered.

PrudeyTwoShoes · 14/11/2023 22:26

We have two schools very close by and the first I visited was much bigger so lots more opportunities/things happening in the grounds. However, when I visited it, I noticed a few things that put me off: high staff turnover, new head (who wasn't respected by all the children - she asked a child to watch out and he completely ignored her), large class sizes that overwhelmed DS as it was so chaotic and it was a catholic school so great emphasis on religion. More importantly though, when asked if DS wanted to stay and play, he didn't.

The smaller school with less facilities seemed a lot more nurturing in general. DS enjoyed being there and didn't actually want to leave. 🙈 In the end, that was enough for me to make my decision and I'm so glad I did choose that school. DS is really thriving there after a few short months.

xyz111 · 14/11/2023 23:05

Ofsted reports mean nothing. There's a school near us that is rated outstanding, but there's 20 parents with complaints of how the school is treating their Sen children.

Schools are not all the same. It's such a big part of your child's life, I don't know why you wouldn't want to visit them.

HazelTheGreenWitch · 14/11/2023 23:14

It's a bit like buying a house. You need to go and see if you can imagine your child there, in the same way you'd imagine living in the house. Definitely ask about support, forest school, trips, after school clubs, and see how you feel about their answers. These things might not seem essential when your child is 4, but by the time they are 8, 9,10... all much more essential to their school life. Get a vibe from the place, and from the staff and children. You can't do that online, just as you can't really decide on a house just by looking at Rightmove.

Essie274 · 16/11/2023 20:01

I don't really get it either. I grew up in a large village with two primary schools, if you lived on the right hand side of the high street you went to school 1, if you lived on the other side you went to school 2. Genuinely can't think of any exceptions other than if people started school then moved house.

My son is starting school next year as well. We went to view a school yesterday and it felt utterly pointless. Not a clue what I was looking for, I was shown around by receptionist so couldn't ask any questions re teaching style as not really relevant, and it was after school hours so couldn't get much of a "feel". We're viewing all of the schools in our area (6) because we've only just moved here (so know nothing about any of the schools, even anecdotally!), none of them have had OFSTED since 2019 or longer ago and frankly we don't have a clue and are hoping we know where to apply by instinct when we see them.

pitterypattery00 · 16/11/2023 23:29

I grew up in Scotland so this system of listing listing preferences is totally alien to me. I'm now living in England with a child due to start reception next year. We've viewed 6 schools - 4 within walking distance of home, the other 2 slightly further. It was definitely worth viewing them - they were all very different (in terms of size, facilities, teaching style in early years, ethos, wrap around care, teacher turnover, extracurricular clubs, music and language teaching, etc). The more I viewed, the more questions I had for the next school! The schools that I liked best weren't necessarily the ones I thought I was going to like before viewing.

pitterypattery00 · 16/11/2023 23:39

To give you an idea of some of the differences:

Some schools had predominantly concrete playgrounds, others lots of trees and greenery and outdoor play equipment.
Behaviour/bullying/homework/

uniform policies varied

some had a specialist language teacher to teach foreign language, others did not.
some were very musical (all children in choir, orchestra) others much less so.
Most reception classes were very platy based, lots of free flow inside to outside. One school had a very different approach.
Only some schools could offer after school care to all pupils who need it.
some buildings very new/excellent condition. One school was quite run down.
How active the PTA are - one school we viewed had a very active one that raised a lot of money for the school.
Use of TAs varied a lot.

hassane · 17/11/2023 00:33

I viewed all the schools on our list. We were fairly convinced the nearest school would be the best fit, and we were right. But it was still worthwhile to visit all the others, if only to put our minds at rest we weren't missing out on something better.

In later years I visited some other schools around admissions time too, purely out of nosiness and certain schools have reputations for different things so I wanted to see what they were like. (Couldn't do it the same year as too many open day clashes). Some of them weren't even in my area and I had noticed intention of moving my dc therefore, it was just curiosity. If you have the time to do it, visiting in person can be quite eye-opening.

Caledoniadreaming · 17/11/2023 09:17

@pitterypattery00 I'm the same as you - Scottish, so this application process is just....weird. I understand why, but just find it odd.

We've visited 3 schools on our list so far (we can put 4 down in order of preference), and what others have said strikes a chord - it is a bit like buying a house - you just know when you've found the right one.

One of the things I looked out for was respect for teachers - we were shown around one school by a couple of year 6s, who were hilarious in pointing out "that's a table, that's a chair..." but also when asked to show something different by the Assistant Head were absolutely responsive.

Maybe it's my own upbringing and having gone to a smaller school, but I like the idea of the staff knowing all the kids' names at least, which can in turn foster a proper sense of belonging and community.

Original poster

TooBusyGazingAtStarss · 18/11/2023 22:15

Okay so I now know what you mean.
I went to see a second school the other day and fell in love with it.
Now I am worried we won't get in as this one only had 1 reception class and the first - i wasn't too bothered about just thought they would go there coz its closest - had 3!

I want this school so bad now I wish Id never seen it!!!! 🤣

OP posts:

HazelTheGreenWitch · 18/11/2023 23:05

There is usually (in England but maybe elsewhere) a list of categories about how applications are prioritised, catchment being one of them. So definitely put your favourite school as choice 1, and include your catchment school as a backup. Some years the birth rate is higher than others, so the school might be full or it might not. Sometimes they operate a waiting list and children can move mid year. Just apply and keep your fingers crossed. But well done for visiting more than one, great that you found a school you like.

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