What will the teacher talk about?

All schools want to work together with parents to provide the best possible education for every pupil. In order to support this, teachers need to know as much as possible about your child, including his interests out of school. Parents' evenings provide an ideal opportunity to share this extra information.

Teachers will talk about your child's general progress, performance in specific subjects, attendance, whether he takes part in a club or out of school activity, attitude to school and whether he has taken on extra responsibilities such as becoming a member of the school council. Awards gained and behaviour will probably be discussed as well.

Plan your time

Teachers have to see the parents of all the children in their classes, so meetings can rarely last for more than ten minutes. If you have particular concerns to discuss that may take longer, make an appointment for another day. It's unfair on teachers and other parents if sessions run over time.

Ten minutes go very quickly so it's important to prepare carefully for the meeting and write down all the things you want to discuss.

A good starting point is your child's report. You will receive at least one written report each year that will tell you about the general progress your child is making. When your child is at the end of a Key Stage the report will also tell you his progress in relation to other children of the same age.

What can I ask about during the meeting?

Read the report through carefully and talk about it with your child. Discuss the comments and see if he agrees. If the report raises some issues, write them down so you don't forget.

The meeting is intended to be a discussion so you may also wish to ask some of the questions listed below:

Is my child happy at school?

Does he get on well with other children and adults?

What are his strengths and weaknesses?

Does he work hard enough?

Is he progressing at a reasonable rate?

Is there anything more I can do to help my child at home?

You may wish to tell the teacher about

any changes at home

things your child does/doesn't like

things your child enjoys/finds difficult

special interests

any worries.

Based on an article by Judith Puddick

Back to top