School shutting for parents evening phonecalls

[carrie105]

I may be being unreasonable. But, we have just been informed our school is closing for the day for the teachers to take parents evening phonecall meetings.

My objection is that the schools have been shut (for the majority) for a long time. The year groups are being phased back in at school. Year 2 are back for two weeks before the summer and the day the school closes reduces their number of days in school down to 9 days.

I am not suggesting that teachers should put in extra hours instead, I know teachers and Heads are up against it at the moment.
What I think is that a parents evening is a 'nice to have' and at the moment a day in school for the children is far more valuable.

What is there to be talked about anyway?Our last parents evening was two weeks before the schools shut and the year 2 children will have been back in school for 4 days.

Reports will be written either way, so the parents will be getting feedback regardless.

I was going to voice my objections to school, but I am wondering if there is an angle I am missing as it seems a bit crazy.

It is crazy. Make a complaint but this is definitely not a wider school issue.

That’s an interesting choice by the school. I’m sure most parents would forgo the parents eve for another day of teaching. I think the teachers would prefer it too, I know I certainly would.

I think there's a huge amount more to talk about. You've been home schooling your child and the school need to know what you've been doing, how your child has been getting along etc. What else would they write the report based on? I think you're being unreasonable here.

I'm a bit confused by the need for this. In normal circumstances, the school doesn't close for the day when there is a parents evening, so why should it in lockdown? Parent's evening should be, as it always is, after the end of the school day.

LegallyBlue our reports this year are from September to March only.

It seems crazy!

We are lucky in that our head has the foresight to want end of year reports written by end of Easter, with the plan to do parents evening and a "light touch" report with pretty much just levels and targets before the end of the year. We all thought it was ridiculous doing end of year reports by Easter...but he must have a crystal ball, because we stand not a hope of writing accurate reports about children's current levels of attainment when we haven't seen them since March! (Plan for parents evening and 2nd report dropped, but we ring parents so can discuss areas to work on anyway.)

YABU. I think considering teachers have been relying on parents to home school their kids these last few months (and many will not have done anywhere near enough) that this parent ‘evening’ is important.

Sounds nuts to me. Seems pretty pointless having it at all. If it's that essential, why couldn't they do it on a day before the children need to return? Do the school normally close for parents evening? Surely it is normally after school anyway? We missed DD's parents evening as it was scheduled for the last week of term before Easter but I still wouldn't want them to do what you have suggested.

I wouldn't want the teacher to call me to discuss progress and then write a report in what I said! I'd prefer no report or one that only comments up to March.

They need to know what the kids have been doing at home, any problems you had supporting their work.
They need to know where each pupil is up to.

It is a legal requirement for schools to provide a parent's evening.

That said I don't think anyone would give a shit in the current situation and it's not the choice I'd make.

When you phone remember that this will have been one of the hardest times in the headteacher's life and ultimately it is their place to decide this stuff.

You've been home schooling your child and the school need to know what you've been doing, how your child has been getting along etc. What else would they write the report based on?

You're suggesting the teachers need to give up their time so as to find out from the parents what the child has been doing so that they can write a report to the parents about what the child has been doing?

There's no point having a report, it's a wastes of everyone's time.

Thanks for the responses to far, just to clarify everything.. Our school don't usually do a parent's evening. They do a parent's morning that runs from the start of the day until lunch. All classes have a TA that run the class that morning.

We have had two proper parent's 'evenings' already this academic year, the last being two weeks before school closed.

The reports are already written and will be sent out prior to the day the school is closed for the phonecalls, so the calls won't impact the report writing in any way.

Making a phonecall takes longer than a parents evening, I can do 50+ secondary school appointments in a 4 hour session, to do the same number of phonecalls will take so much longer, find phone number, call, leave a message, try a different number etc. Plus at a parents evening a queue waiting will ensure 5 mins is kept to - not so easy on the phone!

You are lucky yr 2 are even in at all.