Virtual open days: what makes a school or nursery tour work
By Charles Mansfield-Osborne ·
Open days happen a few times a year. Families choose schools all year round, and many can’t make the date, live abroad or are comparing several schools at once. A 360° virtual tour works as an open day that never closes, and for international students it is often the only visit they make before arriving.
Two schools that used tours well
When nurseries had to close their doors in 2020, Hillbury House Nursery in Brighton needed a way to show families its rooms and garden. We built two tours: a public one anyone could explore, and a fuller password-protected tour for families further along in admissions. Admissions kept going when visits could not.
Regent Language School in Brighton recruits most of its students from abroad. Its tour lets students and their agents look around the classrooms and social spaces from anywhere in the world, which builds confidence long before the flight is booked.
What to include
- The arrival. The gates, reception and the route in. Nervous children (and parents) like to know what the first steps look like.
- Classrooms and specialist spaces: science labs, art rooms, music, sports halls and the library.
- Outdoor space: playgrounds, fields, forest school areas and gardens.
- Where children eat and relax.
- Boarding houses for boarding schools, and accommodation for language schools and colleges.
Add a human voice
Photographs show the building. A tour can also show the people and the ethos, with a short welcome video from the head in the entrance hall, student voices in the classrooms, or narration guiding families round. This is what makes a school tour feel personal rather than an estate agent’s walk-through.
Keep private areas private
Safeguarding comes first. We shoot when the school is empty of pupils, or with areas cleared, and never include identifiable children without consent. Areas you would rather not share publicly, such as boarding rooms or staff spaces, can sit behind a password so only enrolled families see them.
Where to use the tour
- On your admissions page and each key department page
- In the confirmation email after families register for an open day, and in the follow-up for those who couldn’t make it
- With overseas agents and partner schools
- On Google Maps and your Business Profile, where parents search for schools near them
What it costs
A nursery or small school typically fits our Essentials tour (from £695, up to 12 scenes) or Signature tour (from £1,950, up to 40 scenes, with narration, video and password-protected areas). Larger campuses are quoted individually.
Plan your virtual open day
See virtual tours for schools and nurseries or get in touch and we will help you plan the route.