Parent’s evening is an important part of the relationship between you and your child’s school. However, they can also be a little nerve-wrecking if you don’t know what to expect, or what to ask.
What To Expect At A Parent’s Evening
Many schools have two or three parent’s evenings during the academic year, but there will be at least one parent’s meeting. You’ll probably be given a specific time slot for each teacher, and you’ll have five to ten minutes per teacher. This is usually enough time, but if you feel that there is more to discuss, you can ask the teacher to give you a further appointment at another date.
Most meetings will begin with your child’s teacher giving you an overview of your child. This can include their general behaviour, how well they’ve settled in, and depending on how old your little one is, their academic progress. A parent’s evening at the beginning of the year won’t be quite the same as one at the end of the year. At the beginning of the year, your little one’s teachers won’t have had a chance to get to know them properly, however, a parent’s evening at the end of the year will probably give you more information.
The teacher should be able to give you an overview of all the aspects of your little one’s school experience, including social, emotional, and physical development, as well as academic.
Information Given At Parent’s Evening
The following is the information you should expect to be given during a parent’s evening meeting:
- How your child has settled into the class
- Subjects or topics covered in the year
- Homework
- Reading ability – How to improve on it
- Spellings – Test results and any issues
- Progress in Maths and English
- How well your child participates in class
- How confident your child is
- Your child’s strengths and weakness in areas of the curriculum
- Social interactions and any difficulties in friendships
- PE participation
How To Get The Most Out Of Parent’s Evenings
Nerves or apprehension might mean that you feel unprepared for how to navigate the parent’s evening, but these tips can help you get the most out of it.
First, don’t be scared to ask questions. If you don’t understand what the teacher means by something, ask for clarification. The teacher may be using phrases, acronyms, or words that you haven’t heard, or may refer to testing that you know nothing about, so always ask if you feel unclear about anything.
Parent’s evenings aren’t, or shouldn’t be, only about how well your little one is doing academically. Ask about how your child is doing socially as well. You can ask how they interact with others, and who their friends are.
You can also ask if there are any targets for your child in writing, reading and maths. You can ask what level they are working at for English and Maths. You might also want to ask the teacher what progress they expect your little one to make during the school year.
You may also want to ask the teacher if they have suggestions on ways that you can encourage and help your child at home. You might want to ask to see some examples of their work from school and ask what can be done at home to progress your child’s academic ability.
Lastly, you may want to ask about your child’s confidence. Are they able to ask for help, or say when they don’t understand something? Can they participate in class? Are they outgoing, confident, and able to make friends in the playground? You should ask if there is anything the teacher can recommend to help build your little one’s confidence.
