Questions to ask at Open Days

Do your homework before you visit – look at the website, send for a prospectus and school magazine, read the latest Ofsted or ISI inspection report.

Questions to ask yourself:

• What are the girls like? Do I want my daughter to turn out like that? Pupils’ appearance and manners tell you a lot about what the school holds important.
• Do relationships between the girls and between the staff and girls seem open, friendly but respectful?
• Are the school facilities at least adequate and well cared for? Excessively good facilities could indicate spiralling costs whereas tatty paintwork and shabby library books could mean that the school is financially stretched.

Questions to ask the teachers:

• How are pupils selected? What sort of girl would flourish at this school? And, more importantly, what sort of girl would not?
• What is staff turnover like? Too low and there could be stagnation; too rapid and something is amiss.
• How involved are parents with the school? How does the school keep parents informed? Some schools still prefer parents to drop their children at the school gate and never cross the threshold till final prize giving.
• What are the results like? And the “value added” scores? The latter is something most schools now measure – the improvement in pupils’ performance compared to their standard on entry to the school.
• How big are classes? Are pupils streamed by ability? While there is no right or wrong answer to these the replies will help you understand the school’s ethos.

Questions to ask the pupils:

• What do you like best about this school? Does their answer gel with what you are looking for?
• Which subjects do you like best/least? If the answer is science and your daughter is a budding astrophysicist check the science results carefully.
• What sort of girl would be happy here? And: what sort would not?

An Open Day is an opportunity for a school to show itself off so you should be impressed but not over-awed. If you like what you see and hear your next step should be to make an appointment to see the Head.