List of questions for open days

[AndrewD]

We are looking at schools in London (mostly ind. and a couple of state) for our son, but also keeping an eye out for our daughter (2 years younger). Both at state primary and getting exceptionally good reports. We're off to the first of several open days tomorrow.

I compiled a list of questions to have to hand, in categories, which might be useful to others. I suspect I have missed lots of essentials.

Does anyone had any useful additional questions or thoughts?

Admissions

• How many for how many places?
• Policy for admissions (catchment area, maintained schools, siblings)
• Key dates for registration, exams, interviews etc
• What input is needed from primary school? (school reports, headmistress letter etc)
• Is tutoring essential for exams in the school's opinion?

Education

• How are students "streamed" to ability?
• Where do the students go when they leave?
• What is the staff turnover at the school like (average years of service, number of new staff per year)?
• What subjects, sciences and languages are offered at GSCE and A-level?
• Who gets to do separate sciences at GCSE?

Extra-curricular

• What sports is available and where (football, rugby, cricket, rowing, tennis, hockey, etc)?
• What music is available and where (orchestra, choir, piano etc)?
• What other activities are available (drama, social, etc)?
• What and where are the facilities for these activities?

Pastoral

• How often do parents meet with teachers?
• What contact methods are there between school and parents?
• How do they help new kids settle in?
• Are parents involved immediately in issues such as bullying, behaviour, or other issues?
• What is the mobile phone, internet and social networking policy at school?
• What is the incidence of alcohol or drug abuse and how does the school handle it?
• What is the incidence of bullying, eating disorders etc and how does the school handle it?

Facilities

• Do students need to leave school grounds for any activities (subjects or sports)?
• Check out kitchens, dining rooms, toilets.

Other possible questions:

How is pupil progress tracked throughout the year and across the year groups ie vertically and horizontally (eg just through SATS or anything else)?

How is diversity of ability dealt with in the class room, at both ends of the spectrum (eg through sets or otherwise).

Is IT taught as a specific/discrete subject or through other subjects?

What kind of focus is there on life skills?

How is REligious Education taught if at all?

What kind of incentives/rewards and disciplne systems are in place.

Number of children per class and teacher/pupil ratio?

Governing Board, what is its composition (the Board is responsible for appointment of the Head and strategic direction of the school).

You should be able to ask for or obtain copies of school policies eg bullying, IT, child protection and results ie where do the children go after year 6 or if secondary, what their GCSE and A levels/IB results are.

Would also ask about curriculum and whether English or IB (international Baccalaureate), probably more relevant for secondary, most schools follow English National Curriculum in the UK but some Independent schools seem to be going down the IB road these days too.

Agree with suggestion to look up Ofsted/Inspection reports for all schools and find out how regularly the school is inspected and when it is due it's next inspection.

Good luck and hope you find somewhere you are happy with, also agree ambiance can make a lot of difference ie the feel of the place.

"Check out kitchens, dining rooms, toilets"
My DS boards and Im proud to say I've never checked out a kitchen/bathroom/loo in my life. Rest assured OP these things are now pretty standard in the UK children don't pee behind bushes and cooking is rarely done on an open fire round the back.
"eating disorders etc and how does the school handle it"
As already pointed out this information is confidential but if you were allowed to know the numbers of eating disorders and other psychological problems in a school a higher than average number could indicate that they have a very high standard to pastoral care.

I actually find the list of questions kinda depressing.

My main questions will be "What is the diversity of your student body?" and "How are students from minority groups treated within the school?"...

Thank you all for such helpful responses. I realise my list is "over the top" and I don't plan to ask all the questions. I am sure that many questions will be answered by the school in their published materials or on the day. What's left I will get from the visit.

I hope this thread proves useful to others who might be feeling similarly unprepared and get some confidence that the questions they have are normal (or not) and that they haven't forgotten something important after the open day.

"Rest assured OP these things are now pretty standard in the UK children don't pee behind bushes "

Unless things have changed drastically since I was at school, I reckon the state of the toilets would tell you a fair bit though - are they clean and inoffensive or filthy and reeking of stale smoke? (My school was definitely the latter! One of the best things about reaching 6th form was the segregated loos. . . )

"I actually find the list of questions kinda depressing."

I guess we all have different things we find important. DD loves drama and science but hates team sports and isn't keen on competition. So definitely worth knowing that school A puts on several school productions and has lots of science clubs, whereas school B is much more into rugby, hockey and competing in the Eisteddfod. Neither is better, one will just suit my child more IYSWIM.

Well I guess we're all different Chaya5738.

I don't think anyone would be going in with a clipboard and a list of questions to make notes on and cross reference with other schools, but, it can be quite overwhelming for a lot of people, and it's useful to think before you go about what is important to you and for your child. It's an important decision and the number of times I've heard parents say.... "I wish I'd known they do/don't do that before I sent him/her there" (I have 2 at secondary already - 1 in 6th form).
Seriously, what would you expect a school to say to your question "How are students from minority groups treated within the school?"... ?

I would ask primarily about discipline, detentions, levels of exclusion etc.....

I was personally put off one of the all-singing, all-dancing academies in London because of the policy of registration at every lesson and the apparent H Block for the excluded ones.....it seemed draconian and suggested a lot about some of the intake ;-( which made me think that my quite sheltered DS wouldn't thrive there....

As the OP said he was planning to go on at open day I doubt few school loos reek of stale smoke and I suspect that most are cleaned very carefully to impress the prospective parents. When my DH was at school a very famous boys independent fish were hired for the day for parents/open days and sent back the following morning.

First Open Day done. For what it's worth the presentation and school tour with a sixth former and two 2nd years answered all the above questions either explicitly or implicitly.

Only remaining questions I had are regarding the admissions policy detail - that I hope they will easily answer with a quick call.

One other question, sparked by another thread - are GCSE subjects setted? I'd always assumed they would be (I'm so old that it was always a O level group and a CSE group ) but it sounds like these days often they aren't.

It'd be quite usual for Option subjects to be taught in mixed ability groups, at least in smaller schools - if say 60 kids in a year groupof 180 opt for a subject, you end up with two groups being taught at different times to accommodate the rest of their options within the timetable.

Core subjects are almost always setted.