Schools Admission

My son will start school next September. I have had the letter to telling me it's time to start applying for his place and giving me the details of the school he falls into the catchment area for.

I have rung them and asked if we can look around but the receptionist seemed quite puzzled that we wanted to do that. She kept saying we needed to apply for the school and if we were offered a place we would be invited to an open day. She went and asked someone else and they confirmed that same thing.

I have rung 2 other schools local to us as I wanted to be able to compare schools and get a feel for them ( we have never had to do this before) They have very happily made us appointments to look around within the coming weeks.

To be fair the receptionist made me feel a bit of an idiot for asking but I am not happy to send him to a school "blind" so to speak.

Is this normal not to view the school first? Am I really asking something out of the ordinary to look at the school BEFORE I sign 6 years of my sons life up to the place?

My son will start school next September. I have had the letter to telling me it's time to start applying for his place and giving me the details of the school he falls into the catchment area for.

 

I have rung them and asked if we can look around but the receptionist seemed quite puzzled that we wanted to do that. She kept saying we needed to apply for the school and if we were offered a place we would be invited to an open day. She went and asked someone else and they confirmed that same thing.

 

I have rung 2 other schools local to us as I wanted to be able to compare schools and get a feel for them ( we have never had to do this before) They have very happily made us appointments to look around within the coming weeks.

 

To be fair the receptionist made me feel a bit of an idiot for asking but I am not happy to send him to a school "blind" so to speak.

 

Is this normal not to view the school first? Am I really asking something out of the ordinary to look at the school BEFORE I sign 6 years of my sons life up to the place?

You're absolutely right. A visit should certainly be offered in my view.

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I looked around my son's school even though I went to that school myself as a child! Its always best to get a feel for it as your child will be going there for 7 years.

Thanks I am pleased it is not just me. We rang another to look around this morning and they are not doing viewings until January which is took late if you want to apply online. and dependant on date may also be too late for paper applications too.