When did DC start attending parents evening with the parents?

[Miljah]

Just curious!

I know I hadn't realised you were supposed to have your child with you when you went, in 2004-5, having just arrived from abroad!

Last parents evening I knew of was in 1980, where I, as the student, certainly wasn't invited along !

As far aa I'm aware there isnt a rule one way or the other.

Not everyone has the option of leaving their Child with someone to go to PE by themselves! I would have thought this would be obvious

We had to do it at my secondary. I remember absolutely hating it and being anxious as fuck. I don't get why the parents can't go on their own.

We had the choice of whether to go or not at secondary school in the late 80s.

DC's never allowed at primary school, and now at secondary, only started attending end of year 10, after their final summer exams.

Standard practice at secondary school. The teachers talk more to the students than the parents; I've always felt more of an observer than a contributor, although I usually get a chance to ask questions at the end.

Single parent always had to take my child. Now at secondary the girls help with parents tea and coffee tables etc.

And agree definitely helpful at secondary to have them at the table when the teacher discusses GCSEs for all of us.

Hang on, this isn't about single parents/no option- I get that!- this is about standard practice.

Absolutely no child attended any parents evening with their parent/s when I was at school '66-80.

Now, ime, they all do.

I am not debating the rights/wrongs about it, but am wondering if there was a sea-change in educational thinking that morphed one into the other, and about when?

From about the middle of secondary school and upwards, it's been happening in some schools for ages - I can remember going to some with my DParents back in the 1970s.

DC's school invite the pupils too from about year10/11 (the GCSE years)

As a secondary teacher, I prefer to have the child there. I don't need to talk about them behind their back. Any 'terrible' feedback would have been a phone call to parents at the time so I use P-Eve to discuss how school and home can work together to help the child progress. Clearly the child is an integral part of that process and you want them to be on board!

Given how busy schools are, it might be one of my only chances to sit with a child and give them a dedicated one-to-one consultation as it were. Certainly for the younger ones anyway when there are nearly 30 to a class.

Clearly for sixth formers in smaller classes there is a lot more individual attention.

It was standard at my high school but very unusual and not encouraged at primary school.

I was at secondary school in the late 1980s. The pupils were expected to attend parents' evenings from the first year of secondary onwards.

Children never attended parents evening when I was at school either (left late 80s).

I found it a strang concept when I attend with my dcs initially in secondary school. However, it proves to be quite useful as th teachers can tell both the pupil and parent what needs to be done, although I always wonder why the teacher hasn’t told the pupil the necessary info before.

At least it avoids the situation my parents found themselves in with my chemistry teacher. He looked at my name on the list, looked puzzled, then asked them to describe me!

With my children it started when the oldest was in Year 1 and has been that way ever since - she’s in Year 10 now.

Miljah I remember having to go with my parents in the 1980s as a secondary school requirement, not due to lack of childcare (my parents happily left me home alone but anyway my younger siblings didn't come along and they had regular babysitters they paid). It was excruciatingly embarrassing, as I remember it, but the idea was parents, child and teacher were all "singing from the same hymn sheet" as I remember my form tutor putting it.

Not at primary, but at secondary.

I was a teacher in the late 90s and early to mid 00s and it was usual but not required at the schools I taught at.

We live in Germany now and each year there is one Eltern-Kind review at primary where the kid's filled in a self assessment, the teacher's separately filled one in, and parent, child and teacher discuss them. That was only introuced at our primary about 3 years ago. There didn't used to be a parent's evening as such but parents were expected to go to the teacher's office hour in their non contact time at 10am on a Tuesday or whatever, which could be a pain!

At secondary here you don't have to take your child with you but almost every parent who attends does so with the child - not childcare as German secondary kids are universally more than capable of being home alone, but the being on the same page, hearing themselves praised or knowing that their parents know what they're up to and that their parents have filled the teacher in on pertinent information etc idea.

It's not done at our primary school, they specifically request not to bring children if at all possible and put on a dvd in a classroom for any children that do have to come due to no childcare.

AT DS1's secondary, it is fully expected that he attends with us, which surprised me. It wasn't done in my day (early 90s). I can see the logic in it though, if they need to inform us of an issue it is obviously something that they will need to discuss with DS too, so why hold two meetings about it? Plus then everyone is getting the same message and DS can't deny a teacher has told him he needs to work harder at something, as we have witnessed it!

Anyone remember that dread feeling when your parents were out at parents night, you were home alone and you were waiting to see what you got bollocked for when they walked in the door?

Or was that just me...

Parents evening is parents only at my kids schools. I've never heard of a school allowing the pupils to attend.

Until reading this, obviously

I've been teaching in secondary for erm 15 years now. Kids have always been expected to attend everywhere I've worked

We were expected to go with our parents at secondary 88-94.

My mom used to take me along with her. She works at a school (I attended the same one) teaching primary school children English lessons and often has no childcare lined up for evenings. So I’ll sit there observing what was happening, dreamed or drew a random picture of something.
She talked with the parents and children. I can see the point of making the children come along. When I was in college I was required to attend. Honestly it was fun. I was given the opportunity to ask some questions and make small talk with any teachers.

Our school always invited us in the 90s. In fact it was more of a telling off/praising to our faces than anything. Working together and discussing things. Not to dissimular to a work place apraisal.