Really bad first impression

[Yusefsmun]

Visited this school today. Got lost on my way out. Was chastised and abused by groundskeepers after asking for help. Really bad impression. Would not send my son here if these are the kind of rude uneducated louts they employ.

Well, if you have the luxury of choice, so be it.

Alternatively, you could write an email to the school business manager to describe what happened and see what response you get before making a judgement.

Support staff can be difficult to find. Sometimes schools have to use contractors from an outsourcing company.

I refused to send my DS to the secondary school that is perceived locally to be the best of the 2 in town because when I visited on an open evening nobody wanted to discuss support for children with additional needs and when I found the department it was in darkness and locked up.

@Yusefsmun I assume that's private if have groundsmen @MrsMoastyToasty a school near us does that to send the message 'we'd rather you take SEN elsewhere'
Outstanding ofsted tho

This is probably deliberate, if not to discourage applications then to discourage appeals on the basis of "I visited all the local schools and this was the only one that seemed to understand my child's needs". Many parents talk to our school's lovely SEN / pastoral staff at open evenings and then lodge appeals on this basis (only to be disappointed, because usually all schools can meet their child's needs to a similar degree).

First impressions are important when it comes to schools. They give a real insight.

I took ds to a taster day at the local state senior school. At the end of the afternoon, they turned 400 10yos loose. No thought of how they would find their parents or the fact that none of them knew their way around.

There were three exits to the school. It was chaos. Kids in the roads, kids in the car parks, kids crying. Every time each of us saw a child we recognised, we grabbed them and located their mum before going on to hunt our own child.

It was a completely accurate reflection of their safeguarding policy, which was reported by Ofsted as woeful.

So go with your instinct if you aren't happy.