Year 7 Parents Evening - Unavailable slots for core subjects

What's your source for that @Toomanytealights? I know that nowhere near 90% of the kids I teach have a phone. Inner city secondary school.

Tea lights - many of the children I teach don't have reliable internet at home. Their parents don't pay the bill, or they do but go for the cheapest provider - thus patchy coverage. Their computers are old and slow so can't download complex webpages quickly enough. They often have nice phones but on cheap packages which means they run out of data.

Define doing well. Is every non disruptive child making sufficient progress,without one of all sorts of issues? Sorry don't buy disruptive kids having need and everybody else not.

It's half term for many next week, so User, if you do email your child's maths and English teachers, don't expect a reply until term restarts. I, for one, have no intention whatsoever of checking my work emails before 7 p.m. a week on Sunday

whitemarble, that's called having a work/life balance

Toomany I have approx 45 students without reliable Internet access at home.

I am actually shocked that teachers consider it's reasonable and acceptable not to allow sufficient time to see each of their pupils' parents for just 5mins per YEAR.

This year, I teach a total of 378 students per week in every year group. I have 7 Parents EveningS plus a separate Year 9 options evening per year (plus the numerous open evenings and mornings). Parents Evenings run from 3:30pm to 8:00pm. I have 4 minute slots. You do the Maths but I cannot physically see every parent of every child I teach.
However, it appears that I care a damned sight more about each and everyone of my pupils than some on this thread...

That was for whitemarble btw.

90% of households have the internet or on the go,those without are more likely to be the elderly.

I bet you are paid better than a teacher. Bear in mind we usually work 50+ hour weeks in term time too and don't get paid for our holidays...

I too see parental engagement as a vital part of the job. But telephoning/emailing parents is a much better use of my time (& theirs!) than additional parents evenings.

where I had hoped that the teachers would be properly engaged with and interested in their pupils.

Of course white, only at grammar schools are teachers engaged and interested in their pupils what a load of bollocks

I think @User32243535 might be Michael Gove.....

Toomany they are! But I'd rather speak to their parents face to face to reinforce than deliver platitudes to nice kids who are doing well

User those children who have to book I will school will be at a disadvantage, they won't be able to access the system inside school hours as they will be in lessons. Online systems are rubbish,you can't squeeze and extra kid in like I can with a piece of paper. They also mean Mrs Muggins can book an appointment at 7.30 when my other appointments are done by 5.30. On a piece of paper I can say oh Charlie can I ring your mum instead.

Keiratwice - I work full time in a very demanding professional job, I work most evenings and often have days of 7am-10pm or later, and am expected to be available and contactable most of the time, weekends and holidays included and no I don't get paid any extra for overtime.

I know teachers also work very hard during term time but I see parent engagement as a necessary part of the job.

Why aren't said disruptive and disorganised kids being dealt with as soon as they become an issue instead of being left until an evening which is alledgedly provided for all?

Wow OP. You think some children are worthy and some are not?! You do know that children can pass the multiple choice Grammar tests and be visually/hearing impaired, have ADHD, have ASD, have extreme anxiety, have a multitude of other SEND issues. But you say if they do have those issues, should immediately find another school, so as not to bother your children!? These are human beings you are dismissing here!!
I’m lost for words at your gumption.

White marble 14 weeks on parents evenings (assuming 2 per year group per year) plus open evenings, sixth form evenings, options evening, presentation evening, aim higher evening, a couple of performances and you aren't far off one evening a week. That is unreasonable!

If staff have concerns they will speak to you.

Believe it or not @Toomanytealights some kids do not have mobile phones. Usually the same ones who have no PC/IT/internet access at home. Mainly for socio economic reasons. They will most definitely suffer under a purely online booking system.

How do you think this 'new system' will be funded and managed? Can it be bought off the shelf, how much is annual software licensing, what are the Data Protection issues, porting, data sharing, security & admin protocols, who holds the staff training budget?

If you can reseach and evidence the above, approach the Bursar, Governors, Trustees and PTA to back you on fundraising for this.

User - have you bit seen the TEACHERS on this thread telling you that online really isn't any better?

I'm getting the feeling that as long as you get to see your darling child's teachers, no other kid matters.

So the year 7 child not long out of primary school hasn't got an appointment for whatever reason and is berated but disorganised and disruptive kids are deemed worthy of special treatment and appointments handed to them on a plate. Okaaaay.

Whitemarble, can I ask if you work? How would you feel if you were asked to work an additional 3-4 hours, customer facing and on show at the end of a full day? Well, it's part of the role and it's a post it even evening so you'd be fine to make it happen. Fair enough. Now imagine that your employer asks you to do this for 14 or 21 nights a year, instead of the 7 you are currently paid for. Still ok? So you are now working an additional week's worth of working hours for free. Still ok? Or would you want paying? Fine - but school budgets are horribly stretched so something else has to go. Your child's SEN budget perhaps? The training to keep them safe?

pestov that sounds like the perfect solution- you decide who you need to see and make it worthwhile for everyone