After the Open Day

When choosing an independent school for your child, there are several steps to the process: creating a shortlist, gathering background information and, most importantly, visiting the schools. This is the best way to get a feel for a school and decide whether it’s the right choice for your family.

An Open Day is a chance for a school to show you everything it has to offer. You’ve seen science experiments, sports matches and music showcases. The tour has given you a snapshot of where your child may be taking their lessons next September, and you might have been absolutely blown away. If you are considering several schools, this may well have been your reaction to more than one on your shortlist.

So, what are the next steps?

Schools put their best foot forward on Open Days, and rightfully so. It is, however, also important to understand what day-to-day life looks like at the school. You may get an idea of this by talking to some of the pupils at the Open Day itself, while a follow-up taster day can give your child a real experience of ordinary school life. Schools will often arrange induction days during the summer term for their new Year 7 and Sixth Form cohorts, but individual taster days, where available and appropriate, offer an opportunity to experience the school during a normal working day.

Open Days are often busy, with lots of families attending. This can sometimes make it difficult to ask specific questions about boarding options, transport provision or additional learning support. A private tour following the Open Day is a great opportunity to see the school operating as it normally would and to sit down with the relevant members of staff to have your questions answered.

These meetings can also be an ideal opportunity to discuss financial matters, such as scholarships and bursaries, in a private setting, which is not always possible during the Open Day itself. Support varies widely: of 563 charitable schools whose accounts report means-tested bursaries separately, the typical school gives back 7.6% of its fee income, and 157 give back more than 10%.^[1]

The first port of call for any prospective family with questions is the Admissions team. They will be on hand to arrange further meetings or put you in touch with the relevant member of staff to answer any questions you may have. Schools usually have an admissions timeline, with deadlines for applications, scholarship assessments and entrance exams, as well as dates for offers being issued. Not every school selects by ability: of the 1,228 schools in our coverage in England, the Department for Education records 247 as selective and 503 as non-selective.^[2] The team should guide you through this process.

An Open Day can leave a lasting impression, but choosing the right school is about more than what you see on that first visit. Taking the time to explore everyday school life, ask the questions that matter to your family and understand the opportunities available to your child will help you look beyond the Open Day and make a decision with confidence.

Sources

1. Charity Commission for England and Wales and the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR), latest published accounts for each school (financial years 2021 to 2025), analysed by Chapel & Tuck. Means-tested bursaries as a share of fee income; the typical school is the median of 563 open schools whose accounts report them separately. Charity Commission register · OSCR register
2. Department for Education, school-level census data 2025/26, admissions policy as recorded for each school. 1,228 independent schools in England matched to Chapel & Tuck's coverage; 447 are recorded as "not applicable" and 31 as unknown. Get Information about Schools

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