As open day season is well underway and parents are deliberating over their choices for the next academic year, we know that this is a busy time for schools and parents and we want to lighten the load where we can. 

Throughout COVID lockdowns we helped even more schools to add virtual open day elements to their school websites, to help parents and students to learn all about the school despite being unable to set foot inside. Although the situation was not ideal it was actually found to be really useful for all parents – especially those who struggle to attend more regular open days – and they continued to use these resources long after making their choices. Once places had been offered parents and students used the virtual open day options on the school websites to find out more and feel prepared for those tentative first steps through the gates in September. 

It is easy to assume that, given schools are back to ‘normal’ in the UK, parents will not need these virtual options anymore. However these possibilities add an extra layer of value in a number of ways:

Photos and videos

A video or photo can speak volumes to prospective parents who want to know about everything from your ethos through to what the drama studio looks like. Footage of the grounds, facilities, and even pictures of lunches on offer, can help allay fears and prepare students and parents to sign up to your amazing school. Parents will often sift through photo galleries in preparation for their school visit, to help them ask all the right questions, and then continue to refer to these when deciding which choices to add to their application for a school place. 

Welcome videos – from the headteacher, SLT, SENDco and other students – can also help to persuade students that this is exactly the right school for them. These opportunities to introduce yourself and tell people about the school are often easier to access for parents who may find the actual open evening rather intimidating or worrying. Watching a video from the comfort of their own sofa could make all the difference with making them feel at ease. If they can watch it beforehand they are also more likely to already know who they want to find and speak to, and give them the confidence to introduce themselves. Some schools add a page full of introduction videos from multiple key members of staff as well as alumni and current students. This helps to give a range of voices and choices for visitors who want to dig into as much detail as they can!

Virtual School Tours

A virtual school tour allows visitors to have a look around your school from anywhere in the world. For those parents who cannot come to an open day this gives an invaluable feeling that they have visited via their own home or office. It can also serve as a reminder of what they did see on an open day, as often those are grouped together so one school may seem to ‘blend in’ to another after a hectic fortnight of visits. A virtual visit will help them to remember what your school had to offer, and give them a chance to make a comparison in a calm and measured way. 

Open evenings can be busy and some parents feel overwhelmed by the sensory overload of such a crowded space, especially while trying to make an informed and careful decision which can feel like a big weight of responsibility! A virtual tour means they can go back and revisit any rooms which they did not feel they were able to relax in and have a proper look around. 

Virtual School Tours are also brilliant for revisiting when a child has been offered a place. Particularly for children who struggle with transition, students and parents may wish to keep looking at the tour and clicking different doors in a different order as if they were orienting themselves in the real building. This can also help new Year 7s to get to their lessons without stress if they can check out any new rooms their timetable sends them to! This preparation can be vital to many students but equally helpful to everyone. 

Interactive Campus Map

Instead of a virtual school tour – or indeed as well as! – an interactive campus map is another way for students and parents to feel they have visited a school without setting foot inside. The campus map in particular is a great way to give an overview of all of the facilities available in your school grounds. If you have multiple buildings this is also a brilliant way of showing how they are each laid out – perfect for virtual open evenings as well as a way to help students transition and learn where their classrooms are when they start school. 

Interactive campus maps can also be built with special smartphone friendly versions which have been really popular with parents and students so that they can navigate the building even once at school (where mobile phones are allowed of course!) and parents can use their lunchtime at work to visit the school if they are not able to come to walkarounds. 

How are you doing your open evenings/days this year? Are you fully back to in-person or are some parents still looking for ways to do their visits virtually?