Primary school open day - what to ask?

Minerva69

I have been invited to attend an open day at our local primary school this week. My DD is 3 now and attends state nursery school part-time. She is due to start primary school in September 2009 so we should be applying for a place later this year. I'm new to all this applying for schools lark and I just wondered if anyone could advise me the sort of questions I should be asking when I go to the open day?

All the schools in my area are quite poor performing. The local primary is the best of a poor bunch, but it's twice as big as the other schools (430 children on the roll) and their Ofsted report said they needed to improve standards in writing. I've spoken to parents at my DD's nursery and they have said the school has a lot of supply teachers, they still use "flash cards" and one parent told me her child was expected to learn the 24 hour clock overnight for their homework, without the teacher explaining to them how to do it. It's the nearest school to where I live (10 mins walk away).

Also I've read on other threads that children don't have to start primary school until the term after their fifth birthday. My DD will be 5 in January 2010, but is due to start school in September 2009. Could I keep her at nursery a bit longer and then could she start the term after she's 5 (ie after Easter 2010) or are you not allowed to start part-way through a school year?

bestpud

I'm not sure if you can start you dd part way through the school year or not. Most stick to the September intake but if she had actually turned five in the Januray, she would be quite a bit over the legal school starting age by then. That would be one question I'd ask.

Questions are all very personal to the parent and child really, but questions that have been asked at open events I've attended have been mostly about the school day (how it is organised etc), class sizes, playtime and lunch arrangements, homework, uniform, after school clubs, bullying and swimming. That's quite a range I know! Sometimes things just crop up as you are going around and, of course, some schools are better at anticipating what may be asked!

I would always suggest keeping a few questions back and going to the school duing the daytime. You can just go to the reception and ask, or make an appointment, but either way, you will get a much better 'feel' for the school this way. Going during a break time can be good too, as you see how the children interact and what sort of activities are encouraged, as well as how the children behave.

Btw, learning the 24hr clock overnight? Are you sure that is correct??? I don't want to doubt this person but it seems a bit far fetched to me. Plus, if that happened with my child, I'd be having a word with the teacher about it! They can come home with all sorts of tales about horrid teachers etc sometimes, and while I would never ignore such talk, I am also very careful to check it out before passing on what may stem from my child's imagination.

andyrules

What bestpud said!

I would want to know class sizes and do they set for literacy/numeracy? What would you prefer? Talk to as many parents as you can - that will give you the best overview and try to read between the lines!

From what you've said, it doesn't sound ideal but asking about how they are being monitored (if at all) for their writing and how the school is addressing it. ASk how often supply teachers go in - it could be that currently there is a push for extra teacher training based on the Ofsted results.

Finally, if it is possible I would consider any oth options available to you if you aren't happy.

Lunar_Eclipse

I would take all the 'rumours' with a pinch of salt, visit with an open mind and draw your own conclusion. Ask about what matters most to you and your child. Children spend ages learning about time by the way (ie in Year 1 & 2 and then again in Year 3) so that is definitely exaggerated for effect!

I would ask about the start date if you think you may wish to delay it until the January. It is not allowed in our school, or rather all the places are offered and filled (from original intake or the waiting list) and so it is extremely unlikely one would be available in the Jan. You forfeit the place effectively and thus have to hope for a vacancy. If the school in question is less popular this may not be an issue. But safe to ask whether deferred entry is an option since it may well not be. And personally, unless a child has serious developmental delays, it would be better (socially as well as academically) to start with the rest of the year group IMO. But education lasts a lifetime to I can understand that there is no rush!

A first visit is all about the 'feel' of a school, so you don't need to be asking detailed questions. My gut instinct says it's like buying a house - you know very quickly if you like it or not. The Head is critical by the way, so your initial impressions of them are a big clue. I have heard of open days where the Head is absent, which would ring a huge alarm bell with me. It is rare though, I'm sure.

Zziggi

Lunar_Eclipse wrote: »

I would ask about the start date if you think you may wish to delay it until the January. It is not allowed in our school, or rather all the places are offered and filled (from original intake or the waiting list) and so it is extremely unlikely one would be available in the Jan. You forfeit the place effectively and thus have to hope for a vacancy.

This is untrue. If you apply for a school place and are given one and you then decide to defer until the child is of compulsory school age (the term after their 5th birthday) then you can and the school is NOT allowed to legally re-allocate the school place. It is your right to defer and your school place WILL be safe (Whether it is a good idea to defer is a different debate). My point is; you can defer and the school cannot pressure you into sending your child at the start of the school year by saying that you may loose your school place if you don't- the school can't give your place away, they'd be breaking the law.

Savvy_Sue

pokem's list is truly comprehensive, but most of that will already be in the prospectus, so please don't feel you have to ask ALL of those questions! :rotfl:

Indeed, I'd quite like to have at least one question I thought of afterwards, to give me an excuse to go back and visit on a 'normal' day.

Whether a school is poorly performing is less important to me than whether they will do well for MY child. Mine were always at primary schools which caused friends to raise their eyebrows and doubt my sanity, but they treated my children as individuals and managed to teach them at their level.

This was despite (or perhaps because?) they had a larger than average number of children with Statements of Educational Need. Mine didn't, but they weren't just left to get on with it either.

Strapped

Lunar_Eclipse wrote: »

<snip> The Head is critical by the way, so your initial impressions of them are a big clue. I have heard of open days where the Head is absent, which would ring a huge alarm bell with me. It is rare though, I'm sure.

Couldn't agree more. In primaries, the leadership and direction from the Head makes or breaks a school, imho. Remember, also, if your child has any difficulties, this will be the person you need to cooperate with to get what your child needs, so if you have radically different outlooks, things don't bode well from the start.

(BTW, at my son's school, the (brilliant) Head retired two terms after he started, and the new Head...errr, well, let's say we're not impressed so far.)

sticher

Most things seem to have been covered, but I think at Primary level one thing to consider is how close the school is to your home. If you do not drive and have a long school trip this could cause problems, especially if you have younger children to take along as well.

In addition, if the school is not near to where you live, all your childs friends will probably live a distance away too - that can be difficult if you want to arrange visits or trips to the park, etc with their friends - again especially if you don't drive.

Bear in mind too that you child might be there until age 11 - by which time they will probably want to walk home from school without you (easier to let them if they have local friends to walk with, lol). Also by that age they will be wanting to go out to play with their friends. My sons were not allowed to play out from a young age, so they are not friends with children in our neighbourhood who go to different schools (that are further away), only those that attend the same school (which is the nearest).

Have to say though that we are lucky as apparently our primary is one of the best in the country.

bestpud

Lunar_Eclipse wrote: »

It is not allowed in our school, or rather all the places are offered and filled (from original intake or the waiting list) and so it is extremely unlikely one would be available in the Jan. You forfeit the place effectively and thus have to hope for a vacancy.


The Head is critical by the way, so your initial impressions of them are a big clue. I have heard of open days where the Head is absent, which would ring a huge alarm bell with me. It is rare though, I'm sure.

Re: deferring the place until they are five - Zziggi is correct on this - the school is not allowed to give your child's place away, or in any way treat your child differently because you defer the place until after xmas!

I agree about the Head being paramount! Look at how he/she interacts with the staff as any tensions will affect the day to day running of the school. If they appear to work as a team and respect each other, that will be passed down to the children.

Also look how the Head is with the children as the children need to feel able to approach the Head as well as the teachers and some Heads are just plain scary!

Again, a visit during the school day is good for observing these interactions in a more natural setting.

Minerva69

Thank you everyone for the helpful replies, I've certainly got a lot to think about and will go armed with a list of questions!

At the moment my DD's nursery school are actively trying to encourage people to keep their children there until the term after their 5th birthday! I'm very happy with the nursery school and they got a very good Ofsted report. I've spoken to the deputy head of the nursery and even she isn't too impressed with the primary (which is actually next door!). There is a high demand for places at the primary though because it has better results than all the others in the area. It's only 10 minutes walk from our house and the nearest primary in the area, so I guess it would make sense for our daughter to go there, if we can get a place.

Thanks again for the replies :T

magic57

I agree that a visit during the school day is very helpful.

One of the things I looked for in a school was how the other children seemed in school. Did they seem happy. What about the teachers, were they all playing for the same team? I always got a 'feel' about a school. Sometimes the league tables can be very misleading especially if a school has a high number of children with special needs.

Good luck.