Questions to Ask Before Admission to a New School
You walk into the admissions office. The coordinator smiles, hands you a brochure and asks if you have any questions. This is the moment most parents lose ground. The general questions get general answers. The specific questions, the ones that reveal what the school will actually do for your child, often go unasked because nobody told you they were the ones that mattered.
This guide gives you those questions, organised by topic. Use them. Take notes. The answers, more than the brochure, will tell you whether this school is the right fit for a neurodivergent child.
Questions about inclusion in practice
Start with the gap between policy and practice. Every school says it is inclusive. Few have a concrete answer when you ask what that means in a normal week. Push past the marketing language with questions that require specifics.
Ask how many children with diagnoses are currently in the school, across which classes. Ask what kinds of profiles are present (autism, ADHD, learning differences, others). Ask whether teachers receive training in inclusive practice, and if so, who delivers the training, how often and what topics are covered. Ask whether there is a special educator, what their qualifications are and how their time is allocated across the school.
A school that takes inclusion seriously will have ready answers. They will know roughly how many neurodivergent children are in each year. They will name the training provider. They will describe the special educator's actual weekly schedule. A school that is vague on these basics is telling you something important.
Questions about the IEP and accommodations
This is where many schools quietly admit they do less than the brochure suggests. The Individualised Education Plan is the document that should structure how your child is supported. Without it, support is ad-hoc and disappears when the friendly teacher leaves.
Ask whether the school writes IEPs and, if yes, who writes them. Ask how often they are reviewed. Ask whether parents are involved in writing them. Ask to see an example, even with names redacted. The format and detail of a sample IEP will tell you more than any verbal answer. Our piece on writing an IEP request letter in India can help you push for one if the school does not initiate.
For accommodations, ask specifically what is typically offered for your child's profile. Extra time on assessments? Movement breaks? Reduced homework? A scribe or laptop? Quiet spaces during overwhelming periods? A school that has done this before will have a list. A school that has not will improvise. The improvisation might be kind, but it will be inconsistent.
Questions about behaviour policy
Behaviour policy is where schools differ most, and where neurodivergent children most often run into trouble. A standard discipline policy designed for typical children can punish neurodivergent children for behaviours that come from sensory overload, executive function difficulties or anxiety.
Ask how the school responds when a child becomes overwhelmed in class. Ask what the consequences are for behaviours like calling out, leaving the seat or not finishing work. Ask whether time-outs are used and where. Ask what happens after a hard day, what the conversation with parents looks like.
Look for schools whose response is curious rather than punitive. The right answer involves understanding what triggered the behaviour, supporting the child to regulate, and working with parents to build strategies. The wrong answer is escalating consequences without curiosity about the cause. Our piece on choosing a school for a neurodivergent child covers the broader fit question.
Questions about shadow teacher rules
Shadow teachers are a contested topic in Indian inclusive education. Some schools welcome them. Others restrict them tightly. Some forbid them entirely. Knowing the school's position before admission saves significant pain later.
Ask whether shadow teachers are permitted. If yes, what is the school's policy on who hires them, what they can and cannot do, where they sit and how they coordinate with the class teacher. Ask whether the school has a list of shadow teachers they recommend or whether parents bring their own. Ask whether there is a written agreement that the family signs.
If shadows are restricted, ask what the school provides instead. If the answer is a full-time special educator working across the class, that may actually be better. If the answer is vague, the support will be vague too. For more on this whole topic, our full inclusive education guide covers when shadows help and when they do not.
Questions about therapy on or near campus
Pulling a child out of school twice a week for therapy is hard on everyone. Many Indian families now look for schools that allow therapy to happen on campus or in coordination with the school day. The school's flexibility on this matters.
Ask whether the school allows external therapists to visit during school hours. Ask whether the school has in-house therapy services and what those cover. Ask how communication happens between the therapist, the class teacher and the school counsellor. Ask whether reports are shared and how often.
A school that has thought about therapy integration will have specific answers. They will know which days work best for visits, which rooms can be used and how the logistics are managed. Carely's at-home and on-site therapy services are designed to integrate with school routines, and many families find this reduces the daily logistical burden significantly.
Questions you should not skip about fees
Fees are often the question parents are most embarrassed to ask in detail, and they are also where unpleasant surprises happen. Schools may quote a tuition fee and not mention additional charges for resource room access, special educator time, IEP writing, shadow teacher coordination or assessments.
Ask for a complete breakdown of fees. Tuition, transport, activity fees, examination fees, books, uniforms. Ask separately about fees related to inclusion support, special educator services, IEP charges, assessment fees and any additional costs that families with similar needs typically pay. Ask whether fees increase if accommodations are added during the year.
Also ask about refund policies if the fit does not work out. Some Indian schools refund a portion if a family withdraws within the first term. Others do not. Knowing this before signing saves heartache if you need to switch later. Our pieces on working with class teachers and sitting through an IEP meeting are useful follow-on reading once you are inside a school.
Frequently asked questions
How long should an admission interview take?
For a neurodivergent child, allow at least an hour, often more. Schools that hurry the interview have already shown you something. Schools that take time to understand your child are usually more engaged once admission begins.
Should we share the diagnosis upfront?
Yes, with the appropriate documentation. A school that would reject your child on the basis of a diagnosis is not a school that would have supported them anyway. Better to know early.
Can we ask to meet the special educator before admission?
Yes, and you should. The special educator is who your child will work with regularly. A school that hides them or claims they are too busy is showing you their priorities.
What if the school says they will think about it after admission?
This usually means no real plan exists yet. Push for specifics before signing. Verbal promises rarely translate into consistent practice once your child is enrolled and fees are paid.
How do we evaluate a school for our specific child's profile?
Cross-reference the answers above with your child's particular needs. If sensory issues are major, prioritise environment questions. If behaviour is the biggest worry, focus on the behaviour policy. The right questions depend on your child.
Should we visit more than once before deciding?
Yes, ideally on different days and at different times of day. The school at 9 am looks different from the school at lunch break. Both views matter.