A school visit can leave you with plenty of impressions: a bright classroom, a spacious playground, a welcoming conversation. Before enrolling your child, you also need to understand what happens on an ordinary school day.

Who will notice if your child needs help? How will you hear about their progress? Can the daily journey work for your family? What exactly are you agreeing to when you accept a place?

Use these ten questions during school admissions and your campus visit. Choose the follow-ups that relate to your child’s age, personality and current school experience.

What should you look for when choosing a school?

Start with your own child. You may be looking for help with reading, a comfortable transition from another school, opportunities in sport or a daily routine that fits your work hours.

Consider teaching, individual support, wellbeing, safety, communication and the practical arrangements together. Write down your three priorities before the visit. That gives you a way to compare what schools tell you against what your family needs.

1. What will a typical school day look like for my child?

Ask the team to walk you through a day in the grade you are considering, from arrival to dispersal. Find out how lessons, breaks, meals, activities and independent work fit together.

For a younger child, ask about settling in and help with everyday tasks. For an older child, ask about homework, assessment and the balance between lessons and other activities. A useful follow-up is: “Could you show us an example timetable for this grade?”

2. Who will teach my child, and how is the classroom organised?

Ask about the teaching team for the requested grade, the expected class size and how children are grouped for different activities. Find out who takes responsibility for the class and how parents contact that person.

You can also ask how teachers receive training and what happens when a regular teacher is absent. Understanding the arrangements gives you more to work with than a broad promise of individual attention.

3. How will you know if my child needs extra help or a greater challenge?

Ask how teachers understand a child’s starting point, check progress and respond when something is difficult. If your child has a particular learning or communication need, describe it clearly and discuss what support is available at that campus.

For example: “My child enjoys stories but finds writing tiring. How would you understand that need, and how would you discuss it with us?” Ask what happens next, who is involved and what parents might be asked to do at home.

4. How do you help children settle in, make friends and ask for help?

Tell the team if your child becomes quiet with unfamiliar adults, is moving from another school or is worried about the morning goodbye. Ask how new children are introduced to the class and how staff notice difficulties with friendships or participation.

Discuss whom a child can approach if they feel upset or unsafe, how concerns about bullying are handled and how parents are informed. Ask for the school’s process rather than assuming every campus uses the same arrangements.

5. How do safety and child collection work each day?

Ask the team to explain visitor entry, supervision, authorised collection and changes to pick-up arrangements. Find out how the school responds when a child is unwell or an emergency occurs, and who contacts the family.

Use a situation you can picture: “If someone different needs to collect my child, what must I do beforehand?” If you are considering school transport, also ask about supervision, handover and the contact for a route concern.

6. How will the school communicate with us about progress and concerns?

Find out how and when parents receive updates, how meetings are arranged and which channel to use for a question. Ask who your first contact is for learning concerns, daily routines and urgent matters.

A useful follow-up is: “If we notice a change at home, how do we share it with the teacher and agree on the next step?” Ask how concerns are followed up, so you understand how a conversation becomes an action.

7. Which activities can my child take part in, and how often?

Ask what sport, arts, clubs, play and other activities are available for the particular grade. Clarify which are part of the regular timetable, which are optional and whether any involve separate charges or selection.

During the campus visit, ask how the facilities you see are used by your child’s age group. For example, “How often would this grade use this space?” connects the tour to the experience your child would have.

8. Will the daily routine work for our family?

Confirm the school timings for the requested grade, meal arrangements, transport route availability and pick-up and drop-off details. Think about the journey at the times you would normally travel, rather than only the time of your visit.

If you need daycare, ask about eligible ages, hours and places available. At NCFE, CV Raman Nagar and Indiranagar have on-site daycare; their teams can confirm whether the arrangements suit your child. Check what remains to be confirmed before relying on a transport route or daycare place.

9. What does the complete fee schedule include?

Ask your chosen campus for the breakdown applicable to your child’s grade. Clarify the application-form fee, admission-related charges, recurring fees, optional services, payment dates and refund terms.

Ask: “Which costs are included, which are optional and which might be billed separately?” At NCFE, fee guidance belongs with the individual campus’s page FAQ and admissions team. Review that campus’s terms before accepting an offer.

10. Is my child eligible, and what happens next in the admission process?

Confirm the age requirement, grade availability, documents and any meetings or interactions involved. Ask when documents are needed and what you should prepare for the next appointment. If a document is still with the previous school, explain that before submitting the application.

For NCFE’s 2027–28 cycle, Grade 1 requires six completed years as on 1 June 2027, meaning a date of birth on or before 1 June 2021. Ask the campus to check the appropriate grade for your child.

NCFE’s registration order is Enquire, Fill in the application form, Arrange a campus visit, Programme briefing, Meet the Principal, and Offer of admission. The visit is step 3, after the enquiry and paid application form. An offer depends on availability in the requested grade and completion of the process.

Use your campus visit to ask for examples

When an answer is broad, ask the team to explain how it works. “How would you help a child who is hesitant to speak in class?” is easier to discuss than “Do you build confidence?” A sample timetable, explanation of a lesson or description of a collection procedure can make the answer more concrete.

Confirm whether your child should attend the appointment. If they do, listen to their questions afterwards too. Note what they enjoyed, what felt unfamiliar and anything you want to discuss with the school.

Take a checklist and leave with a next step

Download the ten-question campus-visit checklist (PDF, 1 page). Print it, tick the topics you have discussed and use the space to note your priorities and next steps.

You can also download the parent preparation pack (PDF, 3 pages) for the document checklist, age worksheet and visit notes.

After the visit, record three things: what you learned, what still needs confirmation and the next action or appointment. You do not have to decide everything while you are on the campus.

For NCFE registrations, begin with your chosen campus: CV Raman Nagar, Indiranagar, Mandur or Ballari (Bellary). Each campus confirms its own grade availability and arrangements. CV Raman Nagar, Indiranagar and Mandur are CBSE-affiliated; Ballari follows a CBSE-pattern curriculum.

Send an enquiry with your child’s date of birth, requested grade and preferred campus. Include the question that matters most to your family so the team knows what you would like to discuss.