Tips for Tours

Another tour just completed, before I write about that I thought it might be good to mention some other factors that can assist with tours.

1) If you get a chance to leave your kids behind, than do so. I have had to drag both the girls to every tour, they are over it and it makes the tours hard work for me.

2) Schools do not seem overly pram friendly, especially not if you are trying to keep up with a tour. Carry your infants and leave the pram behind.

3) Ring and see if it will be students, staff or the principal that is conducting the tour, two of mine have so far been by students, one by the principal and one the assistant principal. I wont be going to any others hosted by 10 year olds, no matter how lovely they are. In fact, isn't it a bit rude, imagine people turning up to your workplace for information and you just letting the Year 10 work experience kid showing them around the place. Most schools will do a tour at any time, so if students are the host on the open day, just make a time for another day, when the principal is actually free. And, if they are hard to catch for a tour, imagine how hard they will be to catch if your kids go there and you need to call a meeting.

4) Ask questions as you go, few people seem to. A few easy ones that I have picked up along the way are; what are the school fees, can you explain the buddy policy, do Prep children have lunch at the same time/place as the rest of the school, do Preps have their own playground? What are you offering for children that are doing really well, what kind of assistance do you offer if my child is not keeping up? Also interesting to know where the Gr 6 kids generally go...is that where you are thinking your child might go?

As you can see, few grade 6 kids would be able to answer any of these questions, nor help you up stairs with the pram, or gauge what the parents are interested in.