7 Tips To Get The Most Out School Open Days

Choosing the right school for your child is a significant decision. Independent school Open Days offer a valuable opportunity to assess potential schools and determine if they align with your child's needs and your family's values. Here's how to make the most of these events:

Whats So Good About Open Days And Why Go?

1. Go

Firstly, I would highly recommend that anyone even slightly considering an independent education for their child takes the time to attend at least two Open Days. Even if you think you are 100% certain about which school your child will attend, it may be the only time you get the chance to be toured around the classrooms and properly see the facilities within the school. Also, visit your second school choice, as it will be useful in confirming your choice or in future years if your child ever hits a rocky patch, to help you assess if the grass is actually any greener elsewhere. Although referred to as Open Days they are normally no longer than a few hours (less if you want it to be) on a Saturday morning.

2. Informal

Open Days are intended to be a more casual visit to a school, rather than a one-on-one tour during a normal school day, which is often with the Head and then a pupil. So, even if you are undecided between a state or independent education for your child, everyone is welcome, and you will not feel any pressure to register your child there and then onto a waiting list, unless you want to. Some people visit open days in the early stages of pregnancy; others will be looking at it for all ages up to sixth form. I would advise you to bring your child at any age as they will absorb aspects of the school that you will not be able to, and their feedback will no doubt be a key indicator in your decision-making.

3. Pre-Register

Although you do not have to inform most day schools that you are planning to attend their open morning – you can just turn up on the day – I would recommend that you do let them know if you can. Not only does this help the school gauge how many pupils to assign to tours, but most schools will also prepare an information pack for you with a prospectus and the like. Traditionally, boarding schools expect to be notified prior to the day.

4. Make the Start Time

Most schools advertise a start and finish time, but where possible, I would urge you to arrive at the start time and especially in time for the Head's address. I think you can get a good feel from the Head Teacher's tone and message as to the school's direction and ethos. Some schools plan the Head's address at the start so that everyone attending the open morning will hear it, but you may need to interrupt the pupils' tour to ask them to make sure you are back in the appropriate place in time for the talk.

5. Quiz the Kids

Open Days are a staged showcase of best work, pupils playing instruments, singing, dancing, and generally shining bright. Seeing past this, you will still be able to learn a lot about a school from this event. Quizzing the pupils that tour you around with the right questions can be very revealing; talking to heads of departments helps you gauge the passion and vision they have for their subject. Is it the pupils demonstrating activities, or are the teachers taking the limelight? Even during a staged day, you will get a feel for the school, and this should help you to narrow down your choices and then, if need be, ask for a further visit during a normal school day.

Here are a few ideas of questions to ask the pupil who tours you around

• What do you like best about the school?

• What are your favourite subjects and teachers? (This often reveals the most popular members of staff and strong departments)

• What kind of person wouldn't fit in here? Is it okay not to like/be good at sport?

• How difficult is it to get selected for a school sports team or choir or after-school club?

• Is individuality accepted, or is there pressure to conform?

• What changes would you make if you were in charge?

• How are forgotten materials, homework, and mistakes handled?

• Do teachers always mark homework and explain where you’ve gone wrong? What happens about corrections?

• How do you spend your break and lunch times?

6 A Crystal Ball

This guide has put together a ‘Checklist’ with 101 questions that we hope will help you to think about aspects of school life that fit your family's needs. Many parents reading this guide are planning the education now for a little one who can barely walk and talk, so it is hard to gauge which questions will be relevant by the time your child wants to choose hockey over rugby or join a debating team.

Here are three tips to help you assess if a school will provide the environment that is likely to match your child's future hopes and aspirations.

a. Your own aspirations and talents

Although there are many exceptions to the rule, a parent who has a talent or simply an interest in sport, music, art, drama, languages, or a subject such as history, is likely to pass this on to their child. Therefore, there is no harm in looking at your own talents or interests, then see if the school has a good reputation in that department.

b. Size matters

The number of pupils in a class, year group, or whole school will have an effect on how the school operates and how this impacts your child. Here are a few points of view to consider; it is often said that a big school with a large pupil roll per year group excels at team sports, and this is most likely to be true, but is it the same sporty children who will dominate the first teams, and if your child is not one of them, will this affect their confidence? Also, most schools can field one or two teams for matches, but if your child is in the 3rd or 4th team, are ‘match days’ going to be scarce? Having said all this, a child who may not excel at a mainstream sport could enjoy another sport that a small school can’t offer. Large schools are more likely to have enough children interested in niche sports to put on a club and take part in local or national competitions.

Large schools and boarding schools have facilities in abundance. But it’s worth noting which children have access or use of the facilities; they may only be for specific year groups or selected pupils.

Another aspect of small and large schools is whether pupils spend time with pupils from other year groups. A small school will often have whole-school assemblies, mixed year group trips abroad, or division/house activities. The mixing of year groups can inspire pupils to see the talents of younger or older pupils whilst creating a sense of community for all pupils, which logistically is not possible within a large school.

7. Ethos

In just a few years, a lot can change within a school. Over the past twenty years, I have witnessed schools in Edinburgh become co-educational, junior schools become whole schools, all but two school head teachers have changed, two schools have closed, whilst another has opened. So even if you choose a school today, it may evolve into a different one in the future. But all schools tend to have an ethos that stays more or less the same. You can get a good feel for a school's ethos during your visit. So trust your instinct, and if the school ‘feels’ right, it’s most likely to be right for your child.

See: Questions to ask during an Open Day.