Top 10 Questions Parents Ask When They Visit Schools

We cannot over-emphasize the importance of education in the life of a young child, and the length at which parents will go to ensure their children are provided with the best education they can afford. The number one step to ensure the possibility of this is to enroll the kid in an ideal private school. With the new school year getting closer, many parents will be on the lookout for an ideal school for their child (ren), with many expectations they want from the school. These expectations are what will fuel their desire to ask questions whenever they are in search of a school. Before any parent would even have it in mind to visit your school, just note that they would have done their research from necessary sources like SchoolCompass.   

When they come to you, they want to establish the fact that whatever they have heard or read about your school is true and confirm it from you. So as a school owner, you should be prepared to answer a series of questions; and please no matter what you are asked, kindly ensure you address their concerns. With years of relationship with our parents, we have come to discover that you can build trust with parents when you provide answers to their questions. Here are 10 likely questions you should be expecting from parents;

1. Will your school meet the needs of their kids

Parents like to work with a list when looking for schools, so do not be surprised if you eventually find out they have other schools they still want to contact. So the thing is, there are certain reasons why parents might consider certain schools, it might be proximity, after school services, or probably the need for special education. Assure them that your school is capable of catering to the need of such parents, or you will lose them. 

2. What sets your school aside from others?

Many private schools have their special focus, like technology, science, arts, language, etc. It is better to carve a niche for yourself as a school. The parents might ask questions like what are you proud of about the school, let them know that each of your facilities; gardens, classrooms, libraries, laboratories, etc. will help improve the child’s interest, personality, and strength. 

3. What is the student-teacher ratio?

You will agree with me that the reason most parents even consider private schools is the attention the child will receive. As a private school, they are not expecting to meet 100 pupils in the classroom. It has been discovered that there are benefits in small class sizes, as the teacher can give proper attention to every student, without neglecting any. 

4. Is your school student-centered or teacher-centered? 

One of the social skills pupils learn in school is confidence. As a school, you should be able to focus your teaching skills on the students. Students-centered learning, unlike the teacher-centered learning, focuses on allowing the students to be in charge of their learning. Schools do say something, they do not want to spoon-feed students. The students should be allowed to explore and learn in their own comfortable way. Let your school focus be on engaging the students with tasks that will help them discover their true selves.  

5. How does your school ensure the safety of the students?

With the security issues we have been having in the country, it shows that everyone needs to do extra to ensure protection. A parent will not enroll the child in a school that is not safe. As a school, the safety of the students should be of high priority. Let the parents know that you have monitoring systems in place e.g. CCTV, security personnel around the school, and your strict no-visitors rule to restrict your kids’ interaction with strangers. Let them know that in case of an emergency, the parents will be contacted to ensure that both parties are working together to ensure the safety of the students. 

6. Do you provide after-school services?

Some parents due to busy schedules might be interested in having their kids stay back in school after the normal school hours for either tutorial classes or extra-curricular activities. While most parents would have carried out their homework in this case, you should let them know that the kids would be catered for. Also, if there is transport that could take them home, state it. If not so, let them know that you could provide the kids with meals while they wait for the parents to come to pick them up. 

7. Does your school encourage extra-curricular and club activities?

Learning does not end in the classrooms alone, students learn other essential skills in the field and outside the classroom. Parents have also come to discover how these non-academic programs can help improve the social and cognitive skills of their children. A parent with a kid interested in football would be on the lookout for a school that has the facilities for it. 

8. How does your school support children with unique learning abilities?

Depending on the learning program you run, you might find it difficult to answer this question. Parents with kids who have learning abilities would want schools that can provide special programs and employ expertise that can take care of such children. The parents would like to know if the kids with learning differences are kept in the same classroom as others, or you have a separate class for them. If you can, ensure your school has in place every resource that would be devoted to kids with unique learning abilities. 

9. How does your school handle behavior problems?

Even among kids, there are ways issues should be handled. Most parents would want to know about the disciplinary actions that are taken towards certain behaviors. Is your school strict, or you allow any behavior in your school? Let them also know that you have an anti-bullying policy. Parents are more comfortable with schools that are capable of treating issues without negligence.

10. What does the environment of your school look like?

It is possible that most of these questions would be asked when the parents come to visit. That does not stop you from showing them around the school. Apart from just showing them the facilities you have, let them know how their kids can benefit from them all. We believe in preaching benefits of the facilities, rather than just showing them off. 

Choosing the ideal school is one of the difficult decisions most parents have to make. With a wide range of schools offering many mouth-watering educational experiences, the parents would want to be certain that the educational values align with what they need for their children. It is then left to you as a school owner to work on how you promote yourself to the parents. Don’t forget that them (parents) visiting you does not mean they will enroll, the way you answer their questions would determine that.