School information sessions (説明会): booking, what happens, and what to ask

Private junior highs explain themselves to families at a school information session (学校説明会, gakkō setsumeikai). Tokyo's association of private junior and senior high schools (東京私立中学高等学校協会) publishes a short guide to attending one. This is what it says.

Before you go

• On the school's own website, check the time, what the session includes (a campus tour, watching a lesson, a one-to-one talk), whether you must book in advance (事前予約), whether you need indoor shoes (上履き, uwabaki), and how to get there.
• Some schools need a booking. If you already know which schools you want to see, check each school's booking period and method early.
• Bring something to write with and a bag for the handouts.
• Clothing does not matter much. Ordinary clothes are fine.
• If the school asks for indoor shoes, bring slippers.

The guide links to the association's listing of member schools' events (各学校の説明会等のイベント情報).

On the day

Allow time to walk from the nearest station or bus stop.

The guide's example of how a session runs:

1. The principal speaks about the school's history and its educational philosophy (教育理念).
2. Admissions staff explain school life. The guide's examples: daily study support, student guidance and rules (生活指導), events such as the school festival (文化祭), sports day (体育祭) and school trip (修学旅行), the curriculum, careers education, preparation for university entrance, university results, clubs, and support for students who fall behind.
3. A tour in small groups. Teachers, and sometimes current students, show you around. Things the guide suggests noticing: whether the building is kept clean, whether students greet you as they pass, and how well equipped the science and music rooms are.
4. One-to-one questions (個別相談, kobetsu sōdan) for those who want them. Ask what was not covered, or what you want to know in more depth.

Questions the guide suggests asking

• Costs besides tuition, such as savings collected for the school trip (修学旅行の積立金).
• How student guidance actually works. The guide notes that families judge "strict" differently and tells you not to rely on rumours: ask the school yourself.
• Whether the school bag and sub-bag must be the designated ones.
• How many students go to a juku or prep school (塾・予備校).
• For the club your child wants: days, place, and any training camps.
• How the school is prepared for an earthquake.
• How many events a year parents attend (保護者会 and others), and whether they fall on weekdays or weekends.
• Study abroad: whether it exists, for how long (the guide lists 3 months, 6 months, 1 year), how many students go, and whether credits earned abroad count so the student can still graduate in three years.

Afterwards

Ask your child how the talks and the school felt to them. Keep notes on what you asked, one page per school, so you can compare later.

Dates and booking rules change every year. Check each school's website.