EHCP, visiting and naming school

[AspergersMum]

Please can anyone advise me. I really don't get it. We are applying for an EHCP for my autistic, dyslexic son and have a couple of schools in mind if the EHCP is agreed - we find out in the next few weeks. But when we've contacted the schools to arrange a visit to view, both say that we can't look around until we've applied?? How are we meant to choose between 2 unknowns if we can't meet staff and see what they offer? Am I missing something here?

I don't know the answer to forbid one but we also have a school in our area that do this. As I result I didn't go and see it, luckily it wasn't at the top of my list anyway.
I really don't understand how you are supposed to make such an important decision for your child without being able to look at the schools. I am really interested to know if anyone has found a way around it!

Thanks livpotter. It seems entirely unreasonable to me too and it puts us in a position of asking our council to fund tens of thousands of pounds on the basis of a well written website, rather than our personal knowledge of how the school is actually run. I'll ask our IASS for their advice. Other people must have visited as I can't imagine self-funding parents agreeing to a term or 2 without a visit first.

We found we could look at schools when the draft ehcp was available, so then we had a whistlestop chance to see two school and name one as our preference. At the point the draft was issued the la sent the paperwork to around 6 suitable schools asking if they could meet need - the schools were more talkative at that point. Its a stupid process.

Thanks Grasspigeons. That makes more sense, if the LEA talks to more than one school first to see if they would work before naming one.