School open day questions checklist
The prospectus already answers the easy questions. An open day is for the ones that only get a straight answer when asked directly, in person, on the day.
14 items
Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.
The items
- Class sizes at the age your child will actually beThe prospectus average and the number in the year group that matters aren't always the same.
- How pastoral care actually works day to dayNot just that there's a policy — who a child actually goes to on a bad day, and how quickly.
- How special educational needs are supportedAsk for a specific example of support given, not just a list of the provisions on paper.
- How bullying is handled in practiceAsk for an example of how a recent situation was dealt with, not the wording of the policy.
- Homework policy and how much is set at each stageHow much is expected varies a lot between schools with a very similar prospectus.
- Exam results and progress data, not just headline gradesProgress from where each child started tells you more than a headline pass rate, which reflects the intake as much as the teaching.
- Extracurricular clubs actually running, not just listedA club that meets three times a year is technically offered and practically doesn't exist — ask which ones run every week.
- Transport options and a realistic journey timeTimed at the actual time of day the journey happens, not off-peak.
- Uniform and total costs beyond the feesTrips, equipment and specific uniform suppliers add up — ask for a realistic yearly figure, not just the headline cost.
- Safeguarding policy and how visitors are checkedA school that can't answer this clearly on an open day is worth noting for that reason alone.
- What a typical school day actually looks likeAsk to see a real timetable, not the version arranged for the prospectus photo.
- How the school communicates with parentsAn app, a newsletter, a phone call home — how a problem is actually heard about before it grows.
- Questions written down before arrivingOpen days are long and the tour talks over half of what was meant to be asked — the list is what stops you leaving with none of it answered.
- Impressions compared while they're still freshNotes written the same evening, comparing schools, beat memory a month later once the details have blurred together.
Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.
Questions people ask
- What's the one question that reveals the most?
- Asking how a recent bullying situation was actually handled, rather than what the written policy says — the answer, or the hesitation, tells you more than any leaflet.
- Should we trust the school's league table position?
- Treat it carefully. Progress from where pupils started tells you more about the teaching than a headline result, which partly reflects the intake a school already has.
- How many open days should we go to before deciding?
- More than one, ideally, and notes written the same evening for each — the first school visited has an unfair advantage in memory alone if nothing gets compared properly.