Questions to ask during an initial tour

[desperate4spring]

Hi

I am going to visit a private secondary school which we hope to apply for a place at for DD.

I have some questions in mind to ask but want to make sure I haven't forgotten anything. What would you ask?

We would be dependent on her getting a scholarship and bursary in order for her to attend, so anything around that would be particularly helpful.

I have no experience of the private sector, or secondary schools either for that matter (apart from the fact I went to school myself!)...

What year is she currently in? Do you know what scholarships/ how many bursaries are available and who is eligible? I’d ask whether they are expected to take extra responsibilities with the scholarship (eg required to be in orchestra/ choir)

She's currently in Year 6. I'd quite like to get a sense of what the benchmarks are for the scholarships and bursaries as we really couldnt afford it without them, and I really don't want to get dd's hopes up as she would desperately want to go there. We haven't yet told her that we're looking into it.

What kinds of questions could I ask that might give me a sense of whether she's in with a chance?

@desperate4spring , are you doing a general open day tour? If so you will be shown round by pupils who won't be able to help you. It's best to remember that scholarship discounts can be small, sometimes 10%. It would be best to speak to the registrar directly about the bursary process.

It's not an open day but a tour with a member of staff and the opportunity to speak to a registrar.

You could ask how many usually apply, how many usually get scholarship/ funding. What’s the process. What level do they need to be at for sport/ music etc
Ask her current school what they think. Is she top of the class? Does she play an instrument at a high level? Does she play for county teams? Is she confident? Is she mature for her age? There are a huge amount of factors but they are basically looking for someone with a talent who will work hard and represent the school in some way.

I’m not sure you will get an answer because it all depends on who applies. How many they give out will give you a good idea. Some schools give very few.

It will either be the registrar or quite possibly a separate bursar who can speak to you about bursaries. We had helpful discussions with bursars over the years, some will say, you have to fill in the forms before we can tell you much, others will be able to give you an indication of "not likely with household income above X". Policies vary enormously on what can be offered. It's definitely appropriate to ask whether bursaries are completely separate to scholarships, or if a scholarship has to be offered first (I've seen both models).

Scholarships nowadays sometimes have only status / offer of a school place attached to them, no automatic discount at all. Others are still substantial - our daughter had two scholarships nominally 25% each; though together the maximum was 30%. Music scholarships often have significant value if your child will use the music lessons at school.

Another very important question to ask is about the relevant deadlines for applications; these could be very soon.

Sometimes there are other sources of financial support for schooling that a bursar might be able to point you towards, to check out as well.

I hope you have a positive visit and come away feeling your daughter has a reasonable chance.

My favourite question to ask a pupil is "If you could change one thing about the school, what would it be?".

Ask what her commitments would be if she was successful in getting a scholarship. Some music depts really take their pound of flesh!

Ask if certain subjects she likes are available at GCSE/A level.

Thanks! That's really helpful. I really hope that I don't feel like a fish out of water when I'm there. It all feels a bit daunting!