Ten top tips for Early Career Teachers Visiting Schools

Early Career Teachers searching for their first post often wonder about what to look for on a pre-interview school visit. If you are a student teacher coming to the end of your training and wondering ‘should I visit a school before interview?’, the answer is a resounding ‘yes’!

As a former Deputy Head who has over ten years’ experience with school recruitment, I have ten top tips to help you make the most of a pre-interview school visit and stand out from the crowd.

Why visits are important

First, it is useful to understand the purpose of a school visit. It is not just about you seeing the school, though this is important. Senior leaders want to get a sense of the applicant pool and gauge potential applicants’ interest in both the school and the role, so it helps to think about the visit as the first stage of your application. When you visit a school, if you ask specific questions related to the school, look interested and appear positive, you will make a great first impression. A memorable visit that you can reference in your application will help you to stand out and gives the panel the sense that you are eager to work at their school, rather than any school. You should also look at this as the school’s chance to impress you as a potential candidate! 

1. Before you visit, do your research!

Spend some time looking at the school’s website to see if this is a school that you can see yourself working at. What are the school’s aims and values? Do they align with your own educational values? Check their social media. This is often the best source for what happens day-to-day and will give you a snapshot of what they value in real time. 

2.  Try to visit while the children are there

If it is difficult to get time away from placement, and you have to visit after school, ask if it would also be possible to have a look around on the day of your interview, so that you can see the school with the children in it. I think we can all agree that a school building without the children in it is nowhere near as interesting!

3. Be sure to smile and be nice to everyone you meet!

You might think this is obvious, but sometimes nerves can get the better of us and we don’t present ourselves as well as we could. Office staff and others you encounter are often asked about the candidates and how they presented themselves. Arrive a little early if possible and look about you as you come in. What do you notice about the atmosphere? If it is the start of the school day, what do you notice about the playground? Is the headteacher present? Are staff in the playground? What are the parents and children doing? Are the office staff welcoming?  

4. If the Headteacher is not the one showing you around, politely try to find out why

Outside of teaching and caring for the children, recruitment is one of the most important jobs because getting the right staff is paramount to the success of the school. Therefore, meeting potential candidates should be seen as a crucial role. Whether or not this is something the Headteacher does can reveal a lot about their attitude towards staffing. It is also advisable to meet the Headteacher at some point in the process to see if they are someone you could feel comfortable working with and to find out about their educational philosophy because this will directly affect you and the way you work.

5. The person showing you around should give you a good impression of the school

Are they enthusiastic and proud of the school’s work and achievements? How much do they talk about the children? They should be doing their best to sell the school to you as a great place to work. They should also be interested in you and your background, so expect questions. If they are indifferent or apathetic or rushing the tour, this is a potential alarm bell!  

6. Get a feel for the general atmosphere among the staff

How do staff talk to each other when they meet? Do people say hello to you? To each other? Are people smiling or laughing? If you get to wait in the staff room, is it quiet or lively? Are discussions positive or negative? Are people talking about the children and the learning? Is there a level of professionalism that you would be happy with? Some people prefer a more casual environment, while others prefer less chit-chat. Does the atmosphere suit you? Happy staff = happy children = happy school. 

7. Pay attention to the children

Are they happy? Confident? Smiling? Engaged in their learning? Are they welcoming and curious about visitors? How do children and staff interact with each other? If you are allowed to talk to the children, ask them what they enjoy about the school. If a child is distressed or acting out, how do staff react? It is not uncommon to see behavioural incidents being dealt with – these are real schools! What is important is how they are dealt with and whether this is in a way that aligns with your own principles.

8. Look at the learning environment

There will be some mess (an entirely spotless school would be worrying in itself), but is it generally tidy and bright? Are resources respected and well-cared for? Are displays reflective of learning and up to date? Is the building itself well-maintained? 

9. Classrooms should reflect the learning and the school’s values

For instance, a school that values reading will have enticing book corners and a school library. What does this school value? Are there any specialist classrooms, such as an art room or science lab? Do the classrooms have adequate resources? Are learning spaces engaging and inviting?

10. Find out about the stability of the staff

Is there a very stable staff group or a relatively new team? Do they have a high staff turnover or do they rarely have to recruit? Both situations can be positive or negative, so it really depends on the reasons. Ask staff how long they have worked there and what they most like about working there. Ask about their ECT programme and potential ECT mentors. If you meet a current ECT, ask them about their experience and what they have most enjoyed about working in the school. 

These tips are valuable, but so is the advice of experienced teachers like your mentor. Ask them what they look for in a school and why. Just remember that when you visit a school which could potentially be the place that shapes you as a teacher, you should come away with a sense of whether it is a place that you can see yourself both working and thriving in to become the best teacher you can be.