School open day questions

Round & About

Off to a school open day? Pretend you’re back in the classroom and ask as many questions as you can

Every day’s a school day, you never know what you’ll learn from one to the next and the same is true of school open days. 

No matter how much online research you’ve done, or how much you’ve chatted to other parents, there is no substitute for visiting a school and asking face-to-face questions with staff and current pupils and having a good nose around to see what’s on offer. 

The best opinion of a school will come from current pupils, many of whom are often drafted in to give the guided tours on open days, your ideal opportunity to quiz them and get their, hopefully, honest opinions. Never be afraid to ask the most basic questions: do they like the school, what’s their favourite thing about it, is it strict, how much homework do they have? 

Ultimately you want your child to learn so ask about the teaching, do pupils feel connected, how are they helped if struggling, which are the most popular subjects, is there streaming or are pupils of mixed ability in the same class, what is the school’s provision for children with special education needs? 

The focus now is not just on the academic so find out about the sports, arts and extracurricular activities available. Are the particularly gifted encouraged to go further and equally for those not so inclined are they encouraged to participate and have fun as much as possible without the pressure of having to be the next Jonny Wilkinson. What are the music rooms like and is there the chance to get involved behind the scenes as well as opportunities to shine under the lights? What about non-sporting or arts-related extras, are there clubs to attend? 

Children spend a lot of their time at school, how does St Anywhere’s deal with ‘the whole child’, pastoral care and discipline? What support can pupils expect if they are struggling with lessons or unrelated educational issues? Are there pupil mentors to assist younger ones? How does the school deal with incidences of theft, bullying, depression and inclusivity? 

If your child will be boarding it’s likely any of these will be of an even greater concern – meet houseparents and school matrons and find out how this comes together to ensure your child’s wellbeing and happiness. How can you keep in touch? What is the mobile phone policy? 

Get as many opinions as possible and always visit more than one even if you have a good idea of your and your child’s preference, ultimately their happiness comes first.