What did your chosen school provide in terms of information sessions prior to enrolment

[anney]

Sounds like they might be a bit weary of selling themselves if they don't need to. Great that her attitude changed when she realised you actually lived nearby and were interested in the school.
We are looking at a zoned secondary school in your area and had the experience where the assistant head seemed to have a script and did not want to give us any extra. the students did the tour and she actually asked us not to ask the students questions, to leave them all to her for the end of the tour. Was strange - how do you go on a tour for 30 minutes and not ask any questions?

[wysiwyg]

Sounds like they might be a bit weary of selling themselves if they don't need to. Great that her attitude changed when she realised you actually lived nearby and were interested in the school.
We are looking at a zoned secondary school in your area and had the experience where the assistant head seemed to have a script and did not want to give us any extra. the students did the tour and she actually asked us not to ask the students questions, to leave them all to her for the end of the tour. Was strange - how do you go on a tour for 30 minutes and not ask any questions?

I think from past threads I remember which school you were looking at, zoning and the demand seems to be an increasing problem round here. As long as the attitude (we are great no need to try to do better) isn't carried over to the students I can live with it. I am just jealous about friends going to other local schools and hearing really great presentations from enthusiastic teachers and staff - I am quite interested in 'learning' in general, and not so interested in the school facilities so the tour is less interesting (it is random who you get for the tour and the parent who did the tour for us yesterday evening from her memory of the morning, said she learnt more from the 20mins in the hallway then the tour). If they had ever advertised or put on their website that they did tours on Wednesday mornings I could have gone while I have had two weeks between contracts, but now I am starting a new job so is far more problematic.

Well next year when I am part of the 'club' I will be encouraging them to do something better (they don't do that well on parental satisfaction measures compared to some schools) - and I know the other family in this block who are new to Australia and have a son there, weren't told that school finished an hour early on the last day of term, and when they got there after being phoned up they just said "Well in Australia we always finish an hour early on the last day of term".!!

[Amaunet]

"Well in Australia we always finish an hour early on the last day of term".!!

This is something I've never heard of - and I'm Australian AND a teacher!

[Amity]

This is something I've never heard of - and I'm Australian AND a teacher!

We always have

[Amaunet]

We always have

Maybe a Victorian thing?

[OceanPrincess]

Our school doesn't do an open day and doesn't do scheduled tours. What they do is a "prospective new parents" talk in May (must be education week, I didn't realise), which is for all prospective parents, prep or otherwise. I did get the feeling that it is geared at prep parents but anyone else is welcome too. They talked a lot about the standard prep day and the prep staff were all there to present bits and answer questions.

The principal said at the time that he was open to tours at any time, to just turn up and he'd be happy to walk any prospective parents and students through the school.

So we took him up on that and turned up one day with the kiddies in tow (all three of them). Sadly he was out for the afternoon but the office staff grabbed two of the house captains, grade 6 kids, who took us around. It was great, we got an interesting perspective from them and could ask them questions. They spoke to DD and took her around by the hand, very cute.

That was about it, pre-enrolment.

And we finish an hour early on last day of term too - another Melb school.

[wysiwyg]

What they do is a "prospective new parents" talk in May (must be education week, I didn't realise), which is for all prospective parents, prep or otherwise. I did get the feeling that it is geared at prep parents but anyone else is welcome too. They talked a lot about the standard prep day and the prep staff were all there to present bits and answer questions.

That is what I thought we would be getting the other night, as did the other parents there.