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What to Ask a Private or Independent School: 10 Questions That Matter

Find out what’s worth asking during an open day



An open day at a private or independent school is a one-time event, and it’s your chance to gather everything you need to make one of the most important decisions your family will face: which school is right for your child? So it pays to know what to look for and which questions to ask at open days. And the right ones aren’t always obvious.

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Below, you’ll find 10 things worth asking a private or independent school about. For each one, we’ve included sample questions, a hint on what a good answer sounds like, and red flags to watch for. We also encourage you to download our checklist, which you can print and take along to a meeting with the principal, an open day, or even our Expo.

If you’re already at the application stage, take a look at our guide to private school admissions and read how the process works, step by step.

Before You Start Asking: Three Tips to Make Your Life Easier

1. Write down what matters to your family. Pick 3-5 things you can’t imagine a school without. It could be small classes, a strong focus on foreign languages, emotional support, an easy commute, or sports activities. No school will have everything on your list, so it helps to know what you truly care about.

2. Visit the school more than once. An open day is a showcase. The school is prepared, the staff are all smiles, and there are often extra attractions. It’s worth seeing the school on an ordinary day too, for example during a demo lesson, a meeting with school leadership, or between classes. You’ll find open day dates on our site, and if the school offers a visit outside the event, take them up on it.

3. Do your homework before you walk in. Browse the school profiles, the school’s statute, and its website. Our Kids’ school comparison tool will help you line up a few options side by side. That way you won’t waste time on questions the school’s website or profile already answers.

10 Things to Ask About During Private and Independent School Open Days

1. Philosophy and Teaching Approach

Every private and independent school prides itself on an individualized approach and a focus on well-rounded development. That’s why it’s worth finding out what a typical Monday at 10:15 a.m. actually looks like.

Ask:

A good answer: concrete examples from classroom life. Many schools share their daily routines on social media, and it’s worth following those posts to get a real feel for how the school operates.

Red flags: vague generalities, and values that no one on staff can back up with a concrete example.

2. Curriculum, Public School Rights, and Exams

Make sure you understand what your child will learn, how they’ll learn it, and what that means in terms of official paperwork.

Ask:

Important: Until 2019, non-public schools were divided into those with public school rights and those without. That distinction no longer applies. Every non-public school entered in the register must meet the requirements of the Education Law: deliver curricula that incorporate the core curriculum, follow the rules for grading and promoting students, keep records of the teaching process just as public schools do, and employ teachers with the required qualifications. So the better question isn’t “public school rights,” but how the school meets these requirements in practice.

A good answer: a clear explanation of the school’s status and what it means, backed by the relevant documents.

Red flags: a lack of transparency about the school’s documentation.

3. Teaching Staff

A curriculum on paper is one thing. The person at the front of the classroom is another.

Ask:

A good answer: a stable team, a class teacher with a clearly defined role, and openness when talking about staff. It’s also worth asking what students say about their teachers: “Students are talking about very warm culture, a very teachers who never give up on their students. And I think that is key. Our teachers build relationships with the kids, but they never give up on them. So they're always with them every step of the way and supporting them and reteaching when they don't understand something.” says Michelle Kleiss, principal of the American School of Warsaw. “And we're empowering our students with voice to tell us when they don't understand something so we can make sure that we're coming back at it. So they feel really proud of their teachers and I think it's those relationships when teachers talk to kids like they're real adults and human beings and they care and they show that they care, the culture of a school flourishes.”

Red flags: frequent changes of teachers, lots of substitutes, reluctance to talk about the team. Negative comments from students and parents.

► Watch Our Kids Insider Perspective: Principal Interview with Michelle Kleiss of the American School of Warsaw

4. Class Size and Individual Attention

A small class is a promising start, but it doesn’t guarantee success. It all comes down to what the teacher does with it.

Ask:

A good answer: concrete ways of working with a diverse group. An answer like “every child matters here” is far too general, and it doesn’t show how the school actually handles a range of students.

Red flags: a school that spells out exactly what kind of student it expects, but doesn’t say how it supports children with different needs and abilities.

5. Psychological Support and Settling In

A good school is good on the bad days, too. It’s one of the most important issues, and one that doesn’t always come up.

Ask:

A good answer: a description of the procedure, and the specific people a child can turn to.

Keep in mind that even when a child runs into difficulties, a school can’t always solve them. What matters is commitment and a shared effort to find a solution.

Red flags: no systematic approach to psychological support for children and teenagers.

6. Communication with Parents

At a private or independent school, parents pay for access to information, too. It’s worth paying attention to how the school and its staff communicate with families.

Ask:

A good answer: clear rules and specific channels of contact. Many schools also host events for parents to attend, which helps build a sense of community.

Red flags: staff who seem uninvolved in the lives of students and their families. Difficulty getting even basic information about the school.

7. Tuition, Enrollment Fees, and the Contract

Money matters, and every parent has the right to know where theirs is going. Asking about costs isn’t rude. It’s the foundation of a good decision. You’ll find ballpark figures in our article on private school tuition.

Ask:

A good answer: a full price list in writing, and a contract you can review at your own pace.

Red flags: hidden costs that surface later, and pressure to decide quickly.

8. A Day at School: Hours, Activities, Meals, and Facilities

These are questions about everyday life, and everyday life is made up of small details that keep children and teenagers safe and support their well-being.

Ask:

A good answer: a concrete daily schedule, and a live look at the spaces.

Red flags: polished photos on the website (they don’t always capture what the school is really like), and reluctance to show classrooms on an ordinary day.

9. Atmosphere, Safety, and Conflict

A child will spend several hours a day at school, so what matters isn’t only what they learn, but also how they feel there. And since conflict is part of everyday life, a private or independent school has to know how to handle it.

Ask:

At British schools, a separate team often looks after students’ relationships and well-being. This is known as pastoral care. At British Primary School of Wilanów, the team includes a person responsible for pastoral support, a safeguarding officer, and a school psychologist. Principal Tom McGrath explains in an interview with Our Kids why it matters for the adult’s role to be clear:

“This is a key one for the students. We don’t want the teachers to be the students’ friend. (…) We can be friendly, we can be approachable, but we are, for them, a trusted adult, somebody a student can go to when they’re having a difficulty.”

A good answer: written procedures and specific examples of how the school handles difficult situations.

Red flags: “We don’t have problems like that here.” It sounds reassuring, but in a school full of children, it’s usually not true.

10. Results and Where Graduates End Up

Exam results say something important about a school, but they shouldn’t be the only criterion, let alone a source of pressure. Pay attention to the environment in which students achieve them: does it support learning, or does it create pressure and mental strain?

Ask:

Results are worth putting in a broader context. Take a look at our overview of school rankings.

A good answer: data along with context (who takes the exams, how many students, what the admission threshold is).

Red flags: no explanation of where the numbers come from, and pressure to achieve high scores.

Questions You Can’t Ask the Principal

The most valuable insights often come from outside the official presentation. If you can, talk to students and parents, ideally ones who don’t hold any official role at the school.

For students:

For parents:

Frequently Asked Questions About Private and Independent School Open Days

How many schools should I visit before deciding?
There’s no magic number, but it’s good to see several, including a “backup” school. Comparing helps you notice differences you can’t see when you only know one place.

When should I start visiting schools?
Admissions timelines differ from school to school. Some open applications as early as fall, others later, and some admit students year-round. You’ll find up-to-date information in our news and events section, or directly from the school.

Is it okay to ask tough questions at an open day?
Yes. A good school expects them, and how it answers says a lot about it.

Should I bring my child along?
Yes! In their eyes, it’s “their” school, too. With a younger child, leave time to play and look around. With an older one, give them a say in the decision.

Are the questions the same for preschool, elementary school, and high school?
Most areas overlap. At preschool, settling in and daily care matter more. In high school, it’s the curriculum, exams, and what comes next.

What’s Next?

⇒ Check open day dates and plan your visits.
⇒ Browse school profiles and compare a few of them with our school comparison tool.
⇒ Read about what the admissions interview looks like and the full admissions process.
⇒ Visit the Private and Independent Schools Expo, the only event of its kind in Poland, where you can talk to many schools in one place.

Sources and Legal Basis

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Disclaimer: We cannot guarantee the complete accuracy of the school information on this site. Please contact schools directly to confirm all details.