A school visit is short, and most of it is planned for you. The questions you bring decide what you actually learn. Ask about the ordinary school day, not the buildings: how many children share a teacher, how much homework comes home, how a child who is struggling is noticed, and exactly what you will be asked to pay. A good school answers plainly and puts the answers in writing.
Take this list on your phone. Ask every school the same questions, write the answers down the same evening, and compare them side by side.
Learning: what happens in the classroom
- How many children are in a class, at most? Ask for the cap, not the average. In the youngest years, also ask how many adults are in the room.
- How is a new idea taught? Listen for whether children work out why something is true before they are asked to remember it. A clear answer usually comes with an example from a real lesson.
- How much homework comes home, by grade? A good answer has a limit for each grade. "It depends on the teacher" means there is no limit.
- How do you report progress? Ask to see a sample report. You should be able to read it without a glossary, and it should tell you what your child can do now and what comes next.
- Do you publish class ranks or share marks with other parents? Some schools do; some deliberately do not. Know which you are choosing.
Care: how your child is looked after
- How will you notice if my child is struggling? Look for a named person, such as a homeroom teacher who sees the child every morning, rather than "we have a counsellor".
- Who is on campus if a child is unwell? Ask whether a qualified nurse is present for the whole school day.
- How do the buses work? Ask whether buses are tracked and whether an attendant travels on every route.
- Is your safeguarding policy published? If it is, you can read it before you decide. If it is not, ask why.
- How much time do children spend outdoors, every day? Ask where, and what they do there. "Games period twice a week" is a different answer from "every day".
Parents, fees and fit
- How quickly do teachers reply to parents? A school that commits to a time, such as one working day, has thought about it.
- What do I pay for, and what is optional? Ask for the full list in writing: tuition, admission fee, transport, meals and any activities. Then ask whether anything can be added during the year.
- Are fees fixed for more than one year? Some schools lock fees for founding or early families. Ask for the terms in writing.
- Are sport and art ever dropped for extra lessons before exams? The answer tells you what the school really values when it is under pressure.
- Who is this school not right for? This is the question most parents forget, and the most revealing. A school that can describe the families it does not suit understands what it is.
What a good answer sounds like
Good answers are specific, consistent and written down. If two members of staff give you different class sizes, or the fee list arrives in pieces, take note. Equally, a school that says "we do not know yet" about something it has not started is being honest. That is worth more than a confident promise.
How we answer these at Neeva
We publish our answers, so you can hold us to them:
- Classes of 24 at most, and one adult for every eight children in the Early Years.
- Lessons are concept-first and project-based, with time outdoors every school day. See how children learn.
- Homework is light and capped by grade. There are no rank lists, and no child's marks are shared with other parents.
- A homeroom check-in every morning, a full-time counsellor, a qualified nurse on campus all day, and GPS-tracked buses with a woman attendant on every route. More on life and care.
- Teachers reply within one working day, and reports are written in plain language. Our promises to parents are all on one page.
- Fees are tuition, with everything else optional, and are shared on request. Founding families have fees locked for three years and the admission fee waived in the first year.
And to question 15: we are not the right school for families looking for IIT or NEET coaching from Grade 6, a CBSE or State board certificate, class rank lists or heavy daily homework. We would rather say so now.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most important question to ask on a school visit?
Ask who the school is not right for. It is the one question a school cannot answer with a brochure line, and a clear answer shows the school knows what it stands for. After that, ask about the class-size cap and the homework limit for your child's grade, and ask for both in writing.
Should I take my child on the school tour?
Yes. Watch where your child goes first and how staff speak to them. Children notice whether adults bend down to talk to them, and whether there is room to move. Their reaction is not the whole answer, but it is real information you cannot get from a website.
How do I compare fees fairly between schools?
Ask every school for the same written list: tuition, admission fee, transport, meals and activities, and whether any of these can rise during the year. Compare the totals for your child's grade, not the headline tuition, and ask how many years the fees are fixed for.