Questions to ask at open days

[WheelySquirrel]

We are about to start visiting private schools/attending open days. Just wondering if anyone can recommend good questions to ask/things to look out for? We have some things we want to find out of course, but we are new to the sector and want to make the most of the visits so any tips welcome.

Just ask whatever is important to you. A lot of it is about the vibe you get. Do you want your child to turn out like the kids you meet doing your tours / the demos etc. How do you feel about the teachers you meet there. You could ask about extra curriculars - what is offered, when, etc.

We asked about clubs, sports, sport fixtures (when they are held, frequency), how many kids get picked for sports teams, languages they can study, homework (amount & frequency), use of technology in lessons, class sizes, tutor groups (are they vertical/mixed year group or horizontal/single year group), how does the school help Y7’s transition/settle in etc.

If we had students giving us a tour we also asked them what they liked most and least about the school, what’s the food like, what do they do at lunchtime if not going to a club etc.

Getting a good feel for the school - does it feel happy/warm, strict/formal, general vibe, how easy staff are to talk to/their enthusiasm etc and whether you think your child will be happy and thrive there are important to think about as well when visiting!

As a teacher in a private school, these are typical things I would be asked at Open Day

What would you say is the school’s strength?
What does a typical day in (Whichever year group you are applying for) look like?
How do you ensure all children are challenged in the classroom?
How do you support children that may be struggling in a particular subject?
How diverse is the school?
How long have you worked here? (This is important to ask anyone you encounter to ensure there is stability in the staff)

There were loads of different types of questions, but these are main ones that keep coming up!

You don’t say what age your dc are, but asking about exam options / boards / fees etc is important. Smaller schools often can’t offer as much choice as larger ones. How many GCSEs do the pupils take?

Sports and opportunities to play competitively - do all that want to participate get the chance to?

check about transport arrangements- if you’ll be using school transport, is this guaranteed to continue?

also look carefully at their financial situation and number on roll

As a teacher is recommended asking about....
Class sizes.
Do they set by ability and if so which subjects?
Is learning iPad based or paper based?
What proportion of the pupils stay on to study in the 6th form vs leave after GCSEs?
Will the subjects listed be offered at GCSE/A level or is there a chance they will not run if take up is low?

Thanks all, some really helpful suggestions!

When we went last year we asked staff about class sizes, setting policy, modern language provision, music opportunities and ensembles, how GSCE choices worked and what rules there were, what sports options and how many hours of physical activity is offered as part of the curriculum. I also asked about online vs pen and paper learning and homework.

I asked the students what clubs they did, why they and their families had chosen that school if they looked at others, how they found settling in (as often Year 7s and 8s do the tours), what their favourite subjects were, what they thought about the lunches, what they did in form time. I also asked if they were head teacher for a day, what would they change about the school.

But it depends what is important to you and your child (and what your motivations are for looking at private).

I think you can get so much from the kids doing the tours. I’ve always been surprised when I’ve been to open days and people aren’t asking the guides anything. I’ve asked about things like homework, where their friends live, they’re favourite things and least favourite, how they mixed kids up in year 7. It’s obviously helpful if you get a chatty guide but I’ve discounted or become more favourable on schools base on the tour.

Our DS got offered big scholarships at two nearby schools.

I asked one HT ‘what’s it like for kids who don’t have money?’ He looked baffled.

I asked the other ‘do the kids who go here know how lucky they are?’ He said we remind them every day.

He went to the second school.

I’m going to assume this is primary given a lot of secondaries have already happened.

I’d suggest looking at the local state options too (especially for primary). One private school we visited felt very similar to a prestigious state school I visited. Except the private school was dirtier and had spelling errors on signs. I’m not paying £10k a term for that.

With early years you might find that independent schools aren’t worth the money either.

Mobile phone policy (more important for secondary, but may be relevant for Y5/6 as well). Surprisingly different from no phones at all on site, to only brick phones to smartphones allowed, but all phone either in bags or Yondr pouches etc. May make a difference if this clashes with your views as a parent.

We have just done this, I'd suggest thinking specifically about your child;
Do they love art?
Sport (any specifics)
Are they academic or do they love science
Do they hate big class sizes
Do they want to go on lots of trips
Are they wanting to learn an instrument or are you all musical
Are you worried about anything (e.g. they are very shy - if so, how does the school boost kids confidence)

Then focus around that. Make sure you interrogate the things that really matter to you rather than another family.They should all offer a good baseline of education, pastoral and extra curriculum but obviously sense check that. If you're looking for something specific ask about that.
I'd also get your top 3 after open days, and then visit during a normal day - how are kids spoken to? Do they look engaged and happy? Do you spot any behavioural issues? If it's not an all through school, where do kids tend to go next and how much support is offered.
Depending on your circumstances check the after school provision too.
The main thing we wanted from a private school that state can't offer, is a bespoke "we see you" perspective for my child, we have it in our current prep where his differences are celebrated, he is given space when needed and pushed when needed, encouraged as required and has specific learning areas to work on. We'd like the same at a secondary so we've been hunting for that!

Ok, this may be controversial. Try to talk to someone from the school who does not work in the marketing department, a head teacher or head of house. Ask about any problems at the school such as discipline or helping the students that are academically behind. If they try to make out the school is perfect then run a mile!!!! A good school will be open and honest with you. No school is perfect.

I would also ask how they deal with bullying. If they say that it doesn't happen I would swerve that school.

Thanks all. This is for secondary - open days still happening in our area. We’ve been to two, found the days quite overwhelming so might request a private tour aswell.

Secondary/FE college open days happen round here at this time of year.

Oh yes definitely ask about phone policy and how it is enforced in practice. It’s not just for learning about what the rules are at that particular school, but also gives you a feel about how switched on they are about the safeguarding/pastoral issues that come up with phones.

Find out about their financial situation. Might need to dig around yourself outside of open days but absolutely worth knowing if they’re likely to be around for however long you will have children at the school.

The most helpful thing to me (and what couldn’t be found on the website or prospectus) was simply talking to the boys on the tours. In the school that impressed me the boys were articulate and quietly confident answering questions and speaking about the school. Definitely not rehearsed just genuine. They seemed to like the school and wanted to share that with people.

Very different to other schools where the children seemed hesitant to answer or worried about saying the wrong thing.

I spent time observing and watching the children rather than listening to talking points from staff.

Do you pay your staff better than the state sector? What is staff turnover like? Set against baseline data how good is your value added data? Where do your leavers go to university? Private schools will always tell you what you want to hear. If you are paying, drill down on the data. Don't assume paying money = a better quality education

I’d ask about mandatory subjects (do they all have to do two languages, for instance) and flexibility around GCSE options (how many options, can they choose any or are there option blocks). It’s quite different between schools. Also about how they ensure new to the school children settle in, and integrate, if there’s a big group coming through from a feeder school.