Open days and admissions

In this penultimate chapter, Matthew explores the admissions process and how parents should approach an Open Day – the questions to ask and the things you can expect to see. How should you – and your child – compare different schools and what areas do you value when it comes to an in-person visit?

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I hope that by now we have covered all the key factors to think about when choosing a school. Some might be obvious but others require a lot more thought and you may be wrestling with a few dilemmas. How do you compare one school with another when they appear to offer something very similar?

The first thing to do is to start drawing up a shortlist. And this list needs to give a score or weighting based on your criteria. You may want to draw a series of columns and list each in turn. They can include: co-ed/single sex, the Head, pastoral care, extracurricular, inspection and financial due diligence, and of course, the logistics of the journey to/from school. Give each one a tick/cross or a score out of 10 from what you have been able to research. Fairly quickly, you will be able to discount some schools as not fitting your needs. Have a look at those headings again and see if there are any about which you are uncertain.

Of course, at this stage it might be hard to have particularly strong feelings about say the Head, unless you have met her or him already. That's where the visit – or Open Day – will come in but at this stage, all you are doing is working out what might, in theory, be an...

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Disclaimer: Independent education has a wide range of views and the use of quotations does not imply that these contributors share the same views as the author. The views and opinions of the author may also not necessarily be shared by all schools mentioned in this book. The author and publishers do not warrant, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, that the contents are error-free and shall not be liable for any loss, however arising, as a result of the information contained in this book.

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