What to look for at secondary open evenings and how to choose a secondary school

[krisskross]

Hi there
DS is in year 5 and we have 2 or 3 schools to choose from.

What should we be focusing on at open evenings?

Can anyone offer advice on decoding school stats? I haven't looked at them in a couple of years but when i dud they seemed impenetrable.

Amy advice would be great. Thanks

recent thread
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/secondary/3354483-Applying-for-Secondary-School-what-to-ask-look-for-during-visits

All the schools will be on best behaviour.

Things specifically for an open evening

• do you like the focus of the HT's speech? Is it all about results, or sport, or music. Do they mention pastoral or SEN support? Do they mention the 'average' kids.
• do the walls show a display of abilities or only the best
• what are the toilets like (in good repair v graffitied)
• the pupils 'on show' will have been selected (at least to exclude the v.badly behaved), but when you chat with them, do they like the school? What do they say are the best and worst bits? Do they know who they would go to if they needed help in anything? What do they think of behaviour in lessons?
• do the teachers well engage with your DC, or do they ignore them?
• are the older pupils on show how you would like your DC to be when they are 15/16?

Dependent on your kids you may like to ask teachers specific questions like

• how do they extend able kids
• how do they ensure no lost middle
• how do they support strugglers
• extra curricular in sport/drama/music/whatever

I looked at gcse results and sixth form (not so important) ie are they good, or getting good? Local reputation.

It was the open evenings that gave the best idea. One was well run, enthusiastic pupils showing parents around.

Another seemed more tired, teachers looked fed up and the only pupil volunteers were girls. Well, I have a boy so felt it wasn’t a school where boys are proud of their school.

I went to one failing school. It was friendly but disorganised and the pupil volunteers weren’t too sure what was excpexted of them. Some of the parents were making fun of them ‘Miss, I’m bored - can we go home now,Miss’. You got an idea of why it was failing.

Thanks everyone, this is all very helpful!

re stats.

Look at Progress 8 which gives progress from end y6 to end y11. This can I think be separated into low, mid, high achievers so you can look for how well they do with your kind of child.

However the progress measures have wide-ish confidence intervals so whilst 1.3 is better than 0.1, the difference between 0.8 and 0.6 could just be in the noise.

Our school uses the yr 7 and 8 s to show parents around. It's good because I think it shows the children like the school enough to bother to stay or come back for the evening. Also you can find out about yr7 transition. They also tend to be quite honest!

If your DC is in Y5, you have time to book tours of the schools (if they do them) during the normal school day. This can be a more personal and less corporate experience. You can then take your DC to the open evenings either this year or in Y6 (or both).

Thanks all. All useful info. Hes actually in year 6...just started so getting used to saying it!

Ask one of the senior team if they can tell you about staff turnover - how many left last year, how many started this year. Also ask about what percentage of classes are taught by non subject specialists.

Recruitment and turn over are huge problems in schools and much worse in some than others. Don't expect anyone you ask to know the answers off the top of their heads - ask if they can find out and email you the info.

I'd also ask any tour guides how often they seem to have cover or supply teachers, or if they had changes of teacher during the last year.

I'd also ask about how many have the option to do 2 languages or 3 sciences at GCSE and how it is decided who gets that choice.

I'd ask which subjects are set by ability and when and how much movement there is.

If there's a chance you won't get in, speak to the admissions person and ask if you would have got in over each of the last 5 years.

Just be aware that all schools can out on a snazzy evening with science displays and lots of IT running and practical stuff going on all over the school, plus glossy displays.

Ask roughly what % of intake are high, medium and low achievers - and consider how this fits with your own child.

Lots of these QS might need need someone to get back to you - leave your email address and do t worry about being the slightly annoying person who asks the rather difficult questions.

@chocolatewombat thanks, these are really useful things we hadn't articulated.

Thanks everyone!

I'm in the same boat; DH and I are all set to visit the open days in a few weeks and I shall be cheekily taking in all the advice you get here!

I am starting the rounds again. I picked dd's school pretty much on my gut. I walked in and I knew it was the right school - I honestly can't explain it.

There is another school that everyone loves (and they have a huge number of preferences) but I was a little non-plussed by it.

I did look at Progress 8 /Results /Ofsted as well. If you have a middle achiever ask how they stretch them, often the high achievers and low achievers get the most attention and middle achievers can be left to just drift.

My sister (a secondary teacher) also discounted a school for my dn - she couldn't articulate what it was about the school she didn't like but it simply didn't feel right.

Ousted reports and exam results can change over a couple of years, especially if there’s changes to the slt. Listen to the head’s speech, talk to teachers and pupils, get a feel for the school and it’s prior, see how good a fit it is for your dc.
My eldest 2 go to different schools.
Ds (y8) is more academically able, louder, more confident, struggles socially, less mature. His school is bigger, has a stronger focus on discipline, good pastoral support and supports more able students well.
Dd (y7) is shy, averagely intelligent, struggles with spelling, works hard. Her school is smaller, very inclusive and values based and has a good head of English (new) who was able to talk through strategies to support her with spelling. The school was RI on ofsted 6 years ago, but got a new head 2 years ago and was good with outstanding in lots of areas in March this year (so after we picked it).
Both schools are good fits, but very different.