What Can You Really Learn From a School Open Day?
Drawing on her experience of helping families navigate the admissions process, Beth McPhee, Admissions Manager at Lady Barn House School, shares what parents can – and cannot – learn from an Open Day.
“An Open Day is the beginning of getting to know a school. It offers an important first impression, but the most confident decisions come from looking beyond the buildings and facilities to consider where your child will feel truly known, happy and inspired to grow. Take time to be curious, ask thoughtful questions and, wherever possible, visit again. Choosing a school is ultimately about finding the community in which your child will feel they belong – and where they can flourish”
Louise Higson, Headmistress at Lady Barn House School.
If you’re looking at schools this Autumn, you’ll probably notice there are more opportunities than ever to visit. Open Mornings, Open Evenings, taster sessions, tours and opportunities to meet the Head have become an increasingly important part of the journey to choosing your child’s school.
That’s good news for families.
Choosing a school is one of the most important decisions you’ll make for your child, and there is no substitute for experiencing a school in person. Websites and prospectuses can tell you what a school offers. Visiting allows you to discover what it actually feels like.
At the same time, it’s worth recognising what an Open Day is designed to do – and what it can’t realistically show you in the space of a couple of hours.
An Open Day is the beginning of your decision-making journey, not the end of it.
An Open Day can tell you far more than you realise
Schools may plan the route you take around the building, but they cannot manufacture atmosphere.
Pay attention to how children interact with one another. Do they seem happy and relaxed? Do they greet staff naturally? Is there a sense of warmth as you move through the corridors?
Notice how teachers speak to pupils when they aren’t addressing visitors. Watch how children respond. These small interactions often reveal more about a school’s culture than any presentation ever could.
Pupil guides are another valuable source of insight. While they have usually been chosen because they are confident and enthusiastic, children are often refreshingly honest if you ask thoughtful questions.
Instead of asking, “Do you like it here?”, try asking:
- What’s your favourite part of the school day?
- What do you enjoy doing at break time?
- If a new child joined your class tomorrow, what would help them settle in?
- What’s something you’ve learned here that surprised you?
Their answers often provide a wonderfully authentic picture of school life.
Listening to the Head can also be revealing. Of course, every Head will speak passionately about their school. But pay particular attention to the questions that weren’t planned. The way a school leader responds thoughtfully and openly often tells you as much as the presentation itself.
What an Open Day can’t show you
No Open Day, however well organised, can show you everything about everyday school life.
It can’t fully demonstrate what happens when a child has a difficult week, falls out with a friend or loses confidence in a particular subject.
It can’t show you the ordinary routines that shape children’s experiences over months and years; the beginning and end of the school day, the relationships that develop over time, or the small acts of care that rarely appear in a prospectus.
These aren’t shortcomings of Open Days. They’re simply things that take time to understand.
Asking thoughtful questions
An Open Day is also an opportunity to ask questions – not to catch a school out, but to understand how it thinks.
Rather than focusing only on facilities or examination results, consider asking about the things that shape a child’s day-to-day experience.
How does the school help new children settle?
What happens if a child begins to struggle academically or socially?
How does the school communicate with parents?
What opportunities are there beyond the classroom?
How does the school support children before and after the school day?
Experienced school leaders and admissions teams will welcome these conversations because they provide an opportunity to explain not just what the school does, but why it does it.
Sometimes the most revealing part of the answer is not the detail itself, but the openness and confidence with which it is shared.
Why an ordinary Tuesday matters
One of the best pieces of advice we can offer families is simple: if you’re seriously considering a school, arrange a visit again on a normal school day.
An Open Day gives you a valuable sense of a school’s personality. A weekday visit allows you to experience its rhythm.
You notice different things.
- How children move between lessons.
- How staff interact with pupils when no visitors are expected.
- Whether the school feels calm, purposeful and welcoming in the middle of an ordinary week.
The two experiences together provide a much richer understanding than either could on its own.
Trusting your own instincts
Parents often underestimate how much they notice during a school visit.
Facilities are important, but they are rarely the deciding factor in a child’s happiness. Beautiful buildings, impressive sports facilities and modern classrooms all have their place, but they don’t tell the whole story.
Instead, ask yourself one simple question. Can I picture my child here?
Not a generic child. Your child – with their personality, their interests, their strengths and the things they sometimes find difficult.
Can you imagine them walking through the school gates on a rainy Tuesday in February feeling excited for the day ahead?
That instinct, informed by careful observation and thoughtful conversations, is often one of the most valuable guides you have.
Taking your time
Choosing a school is rarely about finding perfection. It is about finding the place that feels right for your child.
Open Days are an excellent place to begin that journey. Visit several schools. Ask thoughtful questions. Pay attention to the atmosphere as much as the facilities. And, where possible, return for a second visit on an ordinary school day.
The aim is never to catch a school out. It is to find the place where your child will feel happy, challenged, supported and able to flourish.
That is a decision worth taking the time to make.
At Lady Barn House School, we believe families deserve thoughtful insight into the many factors that contribute to choosing the right school for their child.
An Open Day offers an important first impression, but understanding a school’s culture, values and approach often comes from asking thoughtful questions and taking the time to look beyond the prospectus.
This article forms part of our commitment to open, informed dialogue with families – placing children firmly at the heart of every decision we make.
