Open days: help with choosing a school

Choosing a school for your child can be a really difficult decision. There are many things you can do to find out if the school is right for you including:

• viewing Ofsted reports
• checking performance tables
• speaking to parents of children currently at the school
• looking at the school website
• going to open days

School Open Days are a great way for you to get a feel of the school, find out more about the school and start to build a relationship with the teachers and staff at the school.

There are things you can do to get more of a feel for the school, including:

• SchoolGuide have a great guide on different questions you can ask
• having a good listen to the head teacher's speech, and think about if their values align with yours
• finding out more about before and after school clubs and local childminders
• taking your child with you to get their opinion
• making sure that you can get transport to the school easily
• remembering to visit more than one school

Remember: most schools require you to book to attend an open day, make sure to plan ahead so you can visit all the schools you are considering.