The Importance of Open Days for Primary Schools

Published on isbi School News dated Wednesday 28th of September 2022

Choosing a primary school for your child can feel like a huge step. How do you know your child will like the school? What are the teachers like? Does it have a welcoming atmosphere?

This is where open days come in, providing an invaluable and unique chance for parents to get a taste of what school life will entail for their children. We explore why open days play such an instrumental role when choosing your child’s school.

What Is a School Open Day?
Open days are events organised by a school or institution which invite the public to visit the establishment, often incorporating guided tours, Q&As, informational pamphlets and the opportunity to roam the location freely. In our opinion, the best ones provide snacks too!

Why Are School Open Days Important?
Open days are important for providing parents and children with a unique and thorough insight into the inner workings of a school. Here are all the reasons you’ll benefit from this exploratory event:

Introducing Children to a School Can Boost Their Confidence
There’s a good chance you can remember your first day jitters! Open days are a great idea not just for parents but also children, as attending a new school for the first time can be an intimidating venture.

While children can’t be expected to take in everything from a taster event, even a passing familiarity with the school can make it seem like a far less scary prospect for pupils. For this reason, we suggest attending open days whenever you get the chance so your children can make the transition to primary school with ease.

Get Firsthand Experience of School Life for Your Child
While a school may have an excellent reputation, you can’t always get a good feel for a place from pictures or word of mouth alone. Sometimes you need firsthand experience in order to judge whether a school has a welcoming atmosphere.

Open days can allow parents to gauge their child’s reaction to the school’s environment. However, do keep in mind that some children are going to be nervous regardless of how warm or inviting an environment is, so try not to let their wariness dissuade you from choosing a school if it ticks your boxes.

Establish a Relationship

An open day can provide an excellent opportunity to establish a relationship with the teachers and Head of the school early on. This can be vital for cultivating an ongoing and mutually supportive relationship between staff and parents.

It can even help parents discover ways to get more involved with their child’s education. For example, some schools will have a Parent Teacher Association (PTA) to encourage a collaborative bond and make the school experience just that much better for your children.

Added to which, your children will get a chance to introduce themselves to other potential pupils, laying the groundwork for future friendships.

Preparation
Preparation is key so, naturally, parents who are invested in their children’s education will have questions about the schools they’re considering. What better way to prepare than getting all your burning questions answered at an open day event?

Visiting the school itself is an excellent way of gathering information about the layout, curriculum, and anything else you can think of. You can usually expect to meet and chat with the head teacher, staff and pupils on open days, as well as get more in-depth answers than you would from just looking at the website.

What Are Open Days Like at St Peter’s Prep?
At St Peter’s Prep, we believe that first impressions are crucial, which is why we always organise annual open days for the benefit of parents and potential pupils. You can expect a guided tour of St Peter’s Prep school by a Year 8 pupil who can provide a personal account of what life is like at St Peter’s.

When the tour comes to an end, you can head to the Dining Hall for some complimentary coffee, tea, juice and pastries! We highly encourage parents to use this time to ask us about anything they want to sate their curiosity. If you want more information, find out for yourself what happens at a St Peter’s Prep open day.

Take a look at our page on open days at St Peter’s Prep if you want to be in the know about open day dates or book an open day event.importance-of-open-days-for-primary-schoolsCan’t decide whether a school is right for you? That’s why open days are so important for parents who are in the process of choosing a primary school for their children. We explore why open days can help you make an informed choice.