Open secrets

Any parent would want to see a school before sending their child there, says Hilaire Gomer – but not everyone makes the most of their visits

Prospective parents have to visit the schools to which they’re interested in sending their offspring. Now this is fine if it’s just one or two and they’re not too far away, but more is a chore. A tip is to kick off with school web sites: you won’t need a satnav.

When it comes to open days, there are three types of prospective parents. The first group are those who know the school already, having gone there themselves 25 years earlier. These go round quickly, exclaiming about how much nicer the changing rooms are these days. (Though one yummy mummy I spoke to claimed déjà-vu as her excuse for not trooping round Eton, on the grounds that her spouse and her three brothers had all been there.)