visiting a primary school - what to ask

No idea but your post has reminded me that I really should start visiting primaries too. things for me will be around academic acheivement vs socially able children as I think where I live the reports tell you about how well children do academically but not about which school helps children learn life skills, manners and active citizenship (although with new 3- 5 curriculum that is changing).

I would want to know about homework - how much from what age/stage?

What support will be in place if /when DD is unable to meet academic milestones

What support will be in place to support DD if she is unable to cope with the school environment (haivng been in a v small pre-school for 2 years with nearly 1:5 ratio).

Class sizes and how many classroom assistants (if any).

breakfast club/ afterschool club provision

sports/music and other clubs, classes and opportunities.

How do they work reward/ behaviour - do they use charts of is it more subtle

let me know if you think of any others and good luck choosing.

Maggie

Ex deputy here!!!!

good suggestions from Maggie.

Because of National Curricululm and Ofsted inspections....every school is much of a muchness as far as accademic teaching is concerned, but support that is in place varies considerably. Its hard to judge a school on academic achievement because at the end of the day it also depends on the type of catchment they are in. (ie you can't make a genius if the IQ isn't there in the first place.....),

When I chose my schools, I looked very closely at the pastoral side. If you consider the amount of time that a child spends at school (which in the early days is a large percentage of their waking hours) the social aspect has got to be of high importance. Children who aren't happy and nurtured won't learn....however good the teaching is.

All 4 of my children went to different schools, because they were all very different. The eldest was an intelligent hyperactive nightmare......so I looked for a school that had excellent discipline and structure. It happened to be a school that integrated disabled/abled....excellent start for that one. No. 2 was a timid but highly intelligent little sole and she went to a school in a leafy suburb that had a very relaxed atmosphere. No. 3.....the biggest nightmare (ADHD and dispraxia)....started off at the local school....was failing miserably and eventually went to a special fee paying school geared up to his needs and has now left school with a bucket load of qualifications and the gentlest, most agreeable personality. No. 4......a handful so small school with excellent support for his learning needs.

So my advice would be to look at what kind of environment best suits your own child. I also think that when you visit a school its not so much the answers to the questions that are important, but more the general atmosphere of the place.

Hope that helps and good luck.

Thank you both for your help -some great suggestions!

I am worried about making this choice. One local school is known to push the children and has very good results. my teacher friends say it has a high staff turnover as headmaster a nightmare but its a smaller school. the other is a very big school but is also known to be good. I find it hard to judge my son at such a young age. He is very active and isn't great at sitting still for long but he is a bright wee boy - although maybe not at sitting tests etc! but then does he need a smaller school who will push him or a bigger school which might not push him but he might get lost in it all???? Both are known to be good!