A school visit is the nearest thing a parent has to a test drive. Done well, it tells you more than any brochure. Done badly, it is a pleasant tour that leaves you with the school's preferred impression and few facts.
This guide covers how to prepare, what to observe, and 25 questions that tend to produce informative answers.
Before you go
Preparation is short but worthwhile.
- Read the school's inspection or accreditation material beforehand, and note anything that raises a question.
- Decide your priorities, three at most. A visit that tries to test everything usually tests nothing.
- Agree what your child will do. Younger children may enjoy a trial morning; teenagers should have a voice in the decision, and a conversation with a current pupil.
- Book an ordinary day if you can, rather than an open morning, which is staged. If only an open day is possible, ask to return for a second, quieter visit.
What to observe
The best evidence is what you see when no one is presenting to you.
- How pupils speak to staff and to each other in corridors
- Whether teachers know pupils' names
- Whether classrooms are engaged or merely quiet
- The state of toilets, playgrounds and shared spaces, which reveals how a school treats the unglamorous parts
- How staff respond when you ask an awkward question
- Whether the children look at ease
Notice what the guide chooses to show, and what they avoid. A tour that skips the library, the playground or the older classes may be telling you something.
The 25 questions
Teaching and learning
- What does a typical lesson look like in my child's year? Ask for a description, and then ask to see one.
- How big are the classes, and does the figure change by subject?
- How do you stretch the most able and support those who struggle? Ask for specific examples, not a policy.
- How is progress measured and reported to parents, and how often?
- What proportion of teachers have been here more than five years? High turnover is among the best predictors of instability.
Care and wellbeing
- Who knows my child best, and how will I contact them?
- How do you handle bullying, and what happened the last time you dealt with it? A school that cannot recall an incident is probably not looking.
- What support exists for anxiety, learning differences and other additional needs, and is it included in the fees?
- What is your policy on phones and social media?
- How are safeguarding concerns raised and who is responsible for them? The answer should be immediate and named.
Curriculum and results
- Which qualifications do pupils take at 16 and 18, and why were they chosen?
- What proportion of the year group sits each qualification, and how are results presented? Selective entry can inflate results; look for progress as well as attainment.
- Where did last year's leavers go? Ask for destinations by country and university type, not only a list of famous names.
- How does the school help with university applications in other countries?
Languages and international pupils
- In which language is each subject taught, and from which age?
- What support is given to a child who joins without the language of instruction? Ask how long it lasts and whether it costs extra.
- Is the mother tongue supported?
- How many pupils are on short-stay postings, and how does the school manage the constant arrival and departure of classmates?
Beyond the classroom
- What do pupils do outside lessons, and who takes part? Clubs that exist on paper but have six members are not a strength.
- How much homework is set, and does it change at transitions?
Fees, contracts and logistics
- What does the annual cost include and exclude? Ask for the complete schedule in writing, including registration fees, deposits, meals, trips, examinations and any levies. Compare total cost, not headline tuition.
- What are the notice period and the terms if we leave mid-year?
- How and when are fees reviewed? Ask about the pattern of increases in recent years.
- What is the daily routine, including transport, wrap-around care and the calendar?
- What would make this school the wrong choice for my child? An excellent final question. A thoughtful head will answer it honestly; a salesperson will not.
Questions for pupils
If you can speak to pupils without staff present, ask three simple things: what they like, what they would change, and what happens when someone is unkind. Children are usually direct. You are looking less for the content than the tone: pride or resignation, ease or guardedness.
Questions for other parents
Ask the school to put you in touch with parents of children in the year you are considering, and, separately, ask parents at the gate. Ask what surprised them after joining, how the school handles problems and whether they would choose it again. If a school hesitates to introduce you to parents of children who have struggled, that is also information.
A one-page scorecard
| Area | What good looks like | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Atmosphere | Calm, courteous, curious | |
| Teaching | Engaged pupils, specific answers | |
| Care | Named people, clear process | |
| Results | Honest, with context | |
| Languages | Clear model, real support | |
| Fees | Complete, in writing | |
| Fit | Matches your child and plans |
Score each area soon after you leave, while the impression is fresh, and then compare across schools.
After the visit
Within a day, write down what you saw, not only what you felt. Ask your child what they thought, and listen to the answer, including the small things. Follow up in writing on anything that was unclear, and note how quickly and how plainly the school replies. Responsiveness before enrolment is a reasonable indicator of responsiveness afterwards.
Resist the temptation to rank a school on its facilities. Swimming pools and theatres matter to some families and not at all to others. What shapes a child's years is the quality of the adults in the building and the culture of the peer group.
Red flags
Be cautious if you encounter:
- pressure to commit or pay a deposit on the day
- reluctance to share fee schedules, contract terms or inspection reports
- evasive answers about staff turnover or bullying
- a tour that avoids classrooms in use
- inconsistency between what the website promises and what you see
None of these is decisive alone, but together they should slow you down.
Sources
This guide is practical advice based on the editorial judgement of the Schools team rather than on published statistics. Background references used for the accreditation and curriculum points:
- Council of British International Schools (COBIS), accreditation: https://www.cobis.org.uk/services/accreditation
- Department for Education, British schools overseas: inspection reports for accredited schools: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/british-schools-overseas-inspection-reports