What to ask schools?
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What their transition to school looks like, what the timetable looks like (how much directed time vs child initiated time), what access they have to specific resources or outdoor spaces, what phonics scheme they use, what does unstructured time look like (playtime and lunch times) how do they communicate with parents about your child’s learning, what trips and experiences the children get, wrap around care and extra curricular clubs, what does the transition from reception to Y1 look like (what’s the jump in expectations/formality, how does the classroom set up or timetable support the change). Statutory results (though this is available online usually) anything related to what you’ve seen in their Ofsted report. Your questions will largely come from what’s important to you! Eg how they deal with behaviour, bullying, SEND etc.
I’m a deputy headteacher and when I do the school tours for new entrants I try and cover as much as possible about generic stuff, but usually parents will naturally ask about the things that they feel are more relevant. It’s also easy to get caught up in just looking at reception as that’s where our babies will be, but don’t forget to look at the rest of the year groups and school as a whole, because a great reception year is just 1 tiny part of their school journey, so it’s important you’re also happy with what you see or hear about the older year groups too!
@Chloe this is such a helpful list, thanks very much for taking the time to reply, I used this for our first visit this morning ☺️
@Ellie I hope it went well! I have some experience and even I feel overwhelmed when it comes to visiting and choosing for my own child!!
It did thanks. I literally used the list when they asked about Amy questions at the end. One I forgot to ask about but have thought about since is how much homework they set and their attitude to it. Personally I’d prefer less so that the littles have more time to enjoy extra curricula activities and have a better school/life balance etc.
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