FJ - I only suggested the P&C meeting because I think it is important to get a feel for the other parents at the school and levels of participation and interaction between school and parents/community. how the P&C acts and what the school asks of it is generally a pretty good indication. It is also a way of meeting other parents at the school. But you are right - it isn't a formal way of learning about the school's policies on particular things or ratios or anything like that - it is a more a way of getting an overall feeling.