An Open Day is an amazing opportunity to really check that the school you are visiting is the right one for you and your child. Make sure that you have your list of what you feel is important with you. Open Days offer many opportunities to really get a feel for what a school has to offer - from the formal Q&A sessions, to the mingling at the end of a tour, to one-on-one time with staff, and meeting current pupils. In all these situations ask as much as you can, don't hold back, you need to feel this school is the right one for your child. Fee paying schools are providing a service and will have their answers to your questions, or lack of answers ready, either of which can be telling.
A lot has gone on to move schools forward in the last two years in their delivery of education and well-being of the children. You may wish to ask how the school day changed during lockdown, or what would happen if your child or their class were sent into isolation now? How would lessons be delivered, would pupils receive remote teaching, how is feedback for their work provided?
Schools do not stop at simply the academic side, however. How did the school ensure that the pupils remained physically active? Did PE continue or was it replaced with something else? Schools may have made personal or group challenges, but how did they monitor this?
Well-being is incredibly important. Did contact with the tutors continue, did form time exist? How did a pupil access extra support, how did the staff identify those that needed it? Did the pupils have a chance to socialise with one another online? Answers to questions such as these will allow you to see how adaptable the school was during lockdown and how focused they were on the well being of every pupil. You need to know that your child will be offered every opportunity to carry on learning and support to cope with the psychological pressures, under all eventualities.
Of course, wandering round the school will give plenty of insight into the day-to-day life there. Ask the current pupils genuine questions about their school day. They will give you real answers. Most are prepped for the role as guide, but will provide genuine insight when you ask them how they find help when they need it, or whether they have someone to go to when they need it.
Your child is an individual, with their own strengths and weaknesses. Will this school be able to bring out the best in your child? Will it help them develop into a well rounded young person, equipped to go out into the world of higher education and work, with the skills, both academic and personal, that are needed in todays world? If you can answer YES to these questions, and your child liked what they saw, add this school to your short list.
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