Ask about the week, not only the headline
Open days can be polished. Your job is not to catch the school out; it is to understand what a normal week would feel like for your child.
The best questions connect the school presentation to real family decisions.
Useful questions
- What does homework look like in Year 7?
- How does the school support pupils who find the pace difficult?
- Which clubs run after school, and how do pupils get home afterwards?
- How are forms, houses or pastoral groups organised?
- What subjects or pathways become important later?
- What admissions rule do families misunderstand most often?
What to observe
Look at corridors, pupil guides, staff answers, lunch spaces, journey timing and how your child responds. Results matter, but open days are where daily life becomes easier to picture.
After the visit
Write down the three facts that changed your view. Then compare those facts with the admissions policy and journey before moving the school up or down the CAF.