Independent Secondary Open Day - what should I be asking?

[tigerbear]

I’m attending an open day at a local independent secondary school for DD at the weekend. She attends a state primary, and I’m not familiar with the private system at all.
What sorts of questions should I be asking to get the most out of it?
Thanks in advance.

I suppose you'd be looking to gauge how much extra 'value' the independent school might offer over other schools you might be considering. Look at your dd's personality - what do they enjoy ie if it's sport, what can the school offer, same for drama etc. Academic results also - where do the kids end up? What is the added value academically? What is the pastoral support like, how do they manage the primary to secondary transition. This is important if its a 'through' school as friendships/cliques may have formed in primary and be difficult to break into. How does all of this compare to other schools?

@Lightsabre that’s a really good point about transition and friendship groups/cliques, as it does have a prep school. It’ll be interesting to hear how many of the prep students join the secondary.

I would ask outright how well a primary school child would fit in. Of course it will vary from child to child, but how they choose to answer this should tell you something about the ethos of the school. Ask which extras are chargeable - it can vary wildly from school to school (eg lunches, trips, school equipment, sports, music etc etc). Ask what participation levels are like in sport and music - there's no point paying for extras if your child isn't going to actually benefit from them. Try not to be too wowed by the facilities - obviously they're part of what you're paying for, but other factors will make a bigger day to day difference to your child's life (eg class sizes, pastoral system, subject choice, quality and turnover of teaching staff).

I wouldn’t ask about extras. It looks like you cannot afford the school. Look at the charges on line or in the brochure. If it’s not there, privately ask the Registrar.

Yes, work out what you are paying for. My DD moved from state primary to independent school and was the only one from a state background. The school will never ever tell you a state educated DC won’t fit in. However looking at the other parents might tell you! You can also talk to pupils who often help out at these events and see what you think of them. Ask them what they would do to improve the school and what they like about it. They are often honest.

My DD loved her school and her primary education made no difference whatsoever. So make sure the school fits your criteria, it offers a real improvement on your state option (for whatever reason you want) and it’s academics are sound.

I would also like to know whether the 6th form is made up of DC who have been all the way through the school. Or do they lose a lot? I would also look at GCSE and A level subjects and results, if they will let you have them. Lastly, how easy is it to get in? What’s the selection criteria?

@tashkent and @BubblesBuddy, thank you, great advice.
This particular school is girls only, and I’m not 100% sure about this, so it’ll be interesting to compare and contrast this against the mixed independent I’ll be seeing in a few weeks.

Sorry Bubbles, but I disagree with you a bit. On the extras thing - if they're sniffy about the fact that the cost of the extras might be a deal breaker for you, then that's a school i don't want to go to. And of course they won't tell you a state school kid won't fit in - but there are still ways and ways of answering the question. And I don't necessarily think that looking at the other prospective parents helps. At DS's school open day it was wall to wall Bentleys, interspersed with the odd Lamborghini. On an actual school day? Plenty of battered old Fords.

At open days you cannot be sure of asking a question about finance without others listening to what you are asking. Why ask about money and charges when you can do it privately? You could possibly find out before you go so if you cannot afford it, don’t go round the school.

Our school had an extras price list and it was readily available. Also if this is the only local private school, there might not be a huge choice! For most people, the cost of extras is not a major consideration. We don’t always know what DC will want to do and would you not go to an otherwise perfect school due to the extras costs? Most people know what the fees and charges are and make decisions accordingly.

I don’t recognise battered old Fords either. Never at DDs school! Not the Bentleys much either but talking to other parents can give you a feel for who is going to the school. Having been to several of these events over the years, there really is a difference in parents at different schools. Some posh schools have the parents to match. I never would assume a state school child, or new to private child, not fit in anywhere. Quite a few go private from state near me.

If you want a posh school, go for it. If you are looking at a GDST school then expect a wider variety of parents. I expected my DD to fit in. I didn’t want to assume she wouldn’t but I have no idea how you can really ask about this. If you think a school isn’t for you, then it isn’t, but DC is unlikely to get special attention because they came from a state school.

I wouldn’t worry about co Ed or single sex. If ss the best fit, so be it. My DDs went to single sex. They do meet boys! They are normal young ladies! They were not subject to anxiety or bitchiness. In fact totally the opposite. The girls were supportive of each other and both have hugely string ties with school friends beyond university. I would choose a school based on what it can do for your DD, not possibilities and fears that may never happen.

Obviously the Bentley and Lambo owners went elsewhere!

Yes, thankfully. And my old Ford estate fits in just fine (though some of the others might be staff cars ). As for asking whether a state school child would fit in, I would want to be hearing stats about the number of state school kids, information about the number of bursaries, and some genuinely warm words (from staff and/or tour guides) about wealth not being a big factor in the kids' experiences. I got the right answers to those questions when we looked round DS's school (as bursary candidates) and I'm very pleased that the truth has borne that out. Extras are absolutely minimal (for everyone, not just for bursary kids). There is no assumption that an extra thirty quid here and there is unimportant. There is very little culture of wealth competitiveness between the kids. It's genuinely hard to initially spot who's the bursary family, who's the investment banker and who's the foreign royalty. And even once you do, it's really not an issue. The trouble about trying to see what current parents are like is that you don't meet them until you join the school, particularly if you're coming from a state primary where few if any kids go private, so you have to try and get as much info as you can from the open day.

I went to the open day yesterday, and got a good feel for the school.
The Head was welcoming and I had a good chat with her about selection, and liked her answers. The tours were all done by the students, who were lovely.
Only problem is, about 50% of the places (around 80 in total) get taken by their junior school, so only 40 or so available.
There were parents who already have children at the school on hand to answer questions too, which was good.

This is a similar model to the local girls school near me who also has their open day yesterday and also have a junior dept.

They have become quite selective for y7 entrants so I share your concerns. Sometimes going to a school with less competition is better!

At various open days I attended, no one asked about bursaries, no one asked about state school DC or how wealth is handled. Parents might have asked privately but not in an open forum. Some parents clearly knew each other as DC attended the same prep schools.

My state educated DD was fine in the tests. She had not done French but by y8 was in the top set and top of the top set! Don’t be put off about what DD might not know. If they are doing well at Primary, you have every chance. It turned out the privately educated DC were not streets ahead of DD at all. So hopefully the exams will be ok. If you need a bursary, apply. There will be info on the web site. If you don’t, just do the exams and any interview. Mainly, don’t worry snd don’t over coach.