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Original poster

Do you dress up for parents evening?

101 replies

PolkaDotMankini · 15/12/2022 10:30

It's DS's parents evening today. I'm trying to decide whether to dress up smart or just go in comfy clothes. My parents used to dress up: it was the only time of the year I ever saw my mum wear makeup! What do you do?

OP posts:
Riverlee · 15/12/2022 15:11

Yes, I would go smart - probably office wear smart.

karencarpenter · 15/12/2022 15:18

If a mum dressed up in a nice trouser suit or dress (i.e. went home after a manual labour job and changed like the dads in question) I'd be suitably impressed.

You sound like a mean minded, chippy, antagonistic person by the way. Do you always think the worst of people and hound them like this? All I said was that I really admired dads wearing suits - mentioning specifically immigrant dads who didn't have corporate jobs themselves. It doesn't mean I didn't respect other parents and have freely admitted my own partner didn't wear a suit.

Pinkandgreentrousers · 15/12/2022 15:43

I might wear a bikini next time, it was boiling in there last week.

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marcopront · 15/12/2022 15:47

As a teacher who has been to parents' evening for many years and in many countries, I can only remember what one parent wore. That was the woman in mirrored sunglasses, that was scary.

LisaJool · 15/12/2022 15:58

I think it's polite and respectful to be presentable to the people that are acting parents for your dc for a large portion of their day. I remember in secondary school the teachers who never wore make up always did on parents evening. The last parents evening I attended in ds' grammar about 70% of the mums wore yoga pants/hoodies and the men mostly wore suits. The mums just looked a mess, it wasn't even a 'groomed' yoga look and I thought it was disrespectful. I have to add the disclaimer that I'm not in any way glamorous or groomed, I'm a fatty that doesn't particularly look good in anything but I wear a nice coat/handbag and brush my hair.

Brrrrrrrrrrrr · 15/12/2022 16:04

At DPs school most of the parents don’t even bother to turn up - never mind dress up. Quite depressing when you think about it. Rough deprived northern secondary for context.

Original poster
PolkaDotMankini · 15/12/2022 18:50

Parents evening over (for me). I wore smart-casual trousers and a top and then wrecked the look with a fluffy cardigan cos it's freezing.

I didn't notice any parents dressed up. Most of the teachers were wearing the school anoraks because they were in a very chilly sports hall. The ones who weren't were in suits or smart attire for teaching.

OP posts:
Original poster
PolkaDotMankini · 15/12/2022 18:51

I'm agog at parents having to be told not to wear pyjamas or come topless. Here's me wondering whether to wear trousers and boots or a dress and heels...

OP posts:
MrsLJ2014 · 15/12/2022 19:02

As a teacher I don't dress up for it myself! Normally start parents evening 5 mins after sending the children home so will probably still have paint under my finger nails and glitter in my hair. Even worse doing some online where I can see what a state I look!!

I've never really noticed.what a parent wears but did get annoyed at the mum and dad zooming from holiday and all the family in shorts and t-shirts, including the child they'd taken out of school!!

sanityisamyth · 15/12/2022 19:05

Depends which side of the table I'm on!

Macaroni46 · 15/12/2022 19:10

Teacher here. Once had a parent turn up in a cow onesie 😂

Dottymug · 15/12/2022 19:15

Never bothered about or even particularly noticed what parents were wearing. I just looked at their faces to check they were smiling! My heart did sink when a smartly dressed dad turned up with his blue tooth thingy attached to his face, and took a work call while I was in mid-chat about his child's progress.

HereBeFuckery · 15/12/2022 19:19

(Teacher) I love parents' evenings online!

Love that parents can relax (often in PJs or onesies/oodie - they are comfortable and therefore more open to honest, productive conversations about progress. Also love that smaller children are sometimes included so they get an idea that 'big school' is a bit different to primary.

Only time I found online a bit crap was the one where the pupil was in the background on his PlayStation and I had to politely request he switch it off to be part of the meeting. This was not well received...

KathieFerrars · 15/12/2022 19:49

We had a dad once who turned up in very very tight lycra shorts which left nothing to any imagination. It was for sixth form parents evening. It was a bit difficult if one was sat down and he was standing up.

LimitIsUp · 15/12/2022 20:34

No!
Why would you?

santasbushybeard · 15/12/2022 21:45

PolkaDotMankini · 15/12/2022 18:51

I'm agog at parents having to be told not to wear pyjamas or come topless. Here's me wondering whether to wear trousers and boots or a dress and heels...

They also have to be moved on from smoking weed at the school gates too.

I live in a depressing dump. I’m praying for a lottery win before I go out of my mind.

Original poster
PolkaDotMankini · 15/12/2022 21:55

Were do you live?! I want to know so I'm never enticed to move there by cheap house prices.

OP posts:
Cas112 · 15/12/2022 22:05

No

echt · 15/12/2022 22:28

This thread has made me smile. I retired from teaching last year and always made sure I was smart for the parents' evenings. I was not a scruffy teacher, but might not always wear a jacket day to day as in Aussie schools you don't have your own room so have to cart your stuff around at the end of every lesson anda jacket isn't conducive. For me the extra effort was about showing respect for the parents, pupils, the occasion.

What surprised me was the difference between the UK and the bit of Melbourne I taught in. UK was more formal (and the area my school was in was notably deprived). The Aussies were notably more relaxed, occasionally not in a good way. When I was on the other side of the desk I was always coming from work, so school dress code. I never told DD's teachers that I was a teacher.

Like quite a few other teachers, I preferred online PEs. The parents seemed so much more relaxed, I think because they had complete privacy and non-one hovering behind them. I still dressed up (from the waist upwards!) and while not required, my background was always my home, an act of trust, and almost all parents also had their real homes in the background.

Original poster
PolkaDotMankini · 16/12/2022 08:01

*where

OP posts:
santasbushybeard · 16/12/2022 08:48

PolkaDotMankini · 15/12/2022 21:55

Were do you live?! I want to know so I'm never enticed to move there by cheap house prices.

It’s the only place we could afford after we were priced out of renting in the SE.

Just don’t make all the poor life choices we did and you’ll be fine.

I feel like I am living amount the cast of The Hills Have Eyes.

Parvolax · 17/07/2023 20:24

I guess it depends what your starting point is. For me I would dress up, in that I will put clothes on (not pjs!) and brush my hair and put a bit of concealer under my eyes

Macaroni46 · 17/07/2023 21:26

I had a parent turn up in a cow onesie once 😂

IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads · 17/07/2023 21:31

No. Last time I went to a face to face parents meeting I came straight from work on a building site.

GreeboIsMySpiritAnimal · 17/07/2023 21:31

At a school event tonight one mum has convinced another (new, Canadian) mum that there was a formal dress code. She was ironing jackets and getting hats out before the other mum told her she was kidding. 😆

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