Questions to ask on a primary school visit
Published data narrows a shortlist; a visit decides it. But an open day is short, crowded and designed to impress, and most parents leave with a warm feeling and no comparable notes. This is the set of questions worth carrying in, grouped so you can pick the handful that matter to your child and ask the same ones at every school.
Before you go, look up what is already published — results, absence, class sizes, the Ofsted report and last year's admission distance — so you do not spend your one conversation on facts you could have read. Spend it on the things only the school can tell you.
Teaching and learning
How the school actually teaches, rather than what its results were three years ago.
- How is reading taught in Reception and Year 1, and what happens for a child who is not clicking with it?
- How do you stretch a child already working above the expected standard?
- How do you catch a child up when they fall behind in maths, and how quickly do you notice?
- What is the actual class size and adult-to-pupil ratio in the year group my child would join?
- How much homework is set, and what do you expect from parents at home?
- Where were your results weakest last year, and what changed as a result?
Behaviour and pastoral care
The part of a school that a parent feels every day and no published figure records.
- How is behaviour handled here in practice, from low-level disruption upwards?
- What happens when a child is unkind to another child, and how are parents told?
- How would you support a child who is anxious, or who finds the playground hard?
- Who would my child go to on a bad day, and how would I hear about it?
- How do you settle a child in during their first few weeks?
Additional needs
Ask these even if you do not expect to need them; the answers reveal how the school thinks.
- Who is the SENCO, how much of the week do they spend in that role, and could I meet them?
- How many children are on SEN support here, and what does that provision look like day to day?
- How do you work with speech therapists, educational psychologists and other outside specialists?
- What would the first term look like for a child with my child's needs?
The school day and family life
The logistics that decide whether a school works for the next seven years.
- What are the earliest drop-off and latest pick-up times, and what does wraparound care cost?
- Is a place at breakfast or after-school club guaranteed, or is there a waiting list?
- Which clubs and trips ran last year, and what did families pay for them?
- How do you make sure enrichment reaches children who do not put themselves forward?
- What does a normal week look like for uniform, kit and equipment costs?
Admissions and the application
Worth asking on the day, because the answers change what you write on the form.
- How far out did you offer places last year, and were you oversubscribed?
- How does your waiting list usually move after National Offer Day?
- Is a supplementary form required, and by when?
- If this is an infant school, how does the transfer to junior school work at the end of Year 2?
Leadership and direction
Where the school is going matters more than where it has been.
- What has changed since your last inspection, and what are you working on now?
- How long has the leadership team been in place, and how stable is the teaching staff?
- What kind of child thrives here, and what kind of child finds it hard?
- What would you like to be doing better in three years' time?
What to look for, not ask about
Some of the most useful evidence on a visit is never spoken aloud.
- How adults speak to children when no one is performing for visitors.
- Whether the work on the walls is recent, and the children's own.
- How calm the corridors are between lessons and at the end of the day.
- What the outdoor space is actually used for, in the weather you have.
- Whether the children showing you round seem genuinely at home.
- Whether staff you pass know the children by name.
Write it down before you leave
Score every school against the same short list of factors, in the car park, while it is fresh. A month later the visits blur into one another, and the school you remember best is usually just the one you saw last.
School visit questions: common questions
When should I visit primary schools?
Most schools run open days and open evenings from September to early December, before the 15 January deadline. If you miss them, ring the office and ask for a tour during a normal school day — a weekday visit while lessons are running tells you more than an evening event.
How many schools should I visit?
Visit every school you intend to name on the form, and at least one you expect to be your realistic offer. Comparing three or four is enough to calibrate; beyond that they blur together unless you write notes on the day.
What should I ask on a primary school visit?
Ask the things published data cannot answer: what a typical day looks like in Reception, how reading and maths are taught, actual class sizes and adult-to-pupil ratios in the year group your child would join, how behaviour is handled in practice, what happens when a child falls behind or races ahead, who coordinates additional needs support, and what before- and after-school care costs.
What should I look for rather than ask about?
How adults speak to children when nobody is performing for visitors, whether children's work on the walls is recent and theirs rather than printed, how calm the corridors are at transition, what the outdoor space is used for, and whether the children showing you round seem genuinely at home.
Is it worth asking about SATs results on a visit?
Only to hear the explanation. The figures are already published, so a better question is what the school changed after its weakest results, and how it stretches children who are already above the expected standard.
What should I ask if my child may need SEND support?
Ask who the SENCO is and how much of the week that role gets, how many children are on SEN support, what provision looks like day to day rather than on paper, how the school works with outside specialists, and what a first term would look like for a child with your child's particular needs.
Should I take my child with me?
To at least one visit, yes. Children notice different things and their reaction to a place is real information. Evening events are usually adult-focused; ask whether a daytime tour would suit better.
What should I ask about admission chances?
Ask how far out the school offered places last year, whether it has been oversubscribed recently, how the waiting list typically moves after National Offer Day, and whether any supplementary form is required and by when.
How do I keep the visits straight afterwards?
Write your notes before you leave the car park, against the same handful of factors at every school, and score each one while it is fresh. Comparing like for like is the whole point — a printed checklist beats memory a month later.
Get this list built for your own shortlist
SpotWise turns your child's profile, your priorities and each school's published data into a personalised visit checklist — the gaps and weak spots specific to that school, ready to print or take on your phone.