Parents Evenings

[TyneTeas]

Hi

Please help me with your brilliant ideas for successful Parents Evenings

I am a school governor looking to support school staff in making parents evening more engaging and relevant for parents

Can I ask what kind of things your school does, what works well for you in addition to the core activity of looking at work and talking to teachers (and if there are things you have tried that haven't worked as hoped also good to know!)

Clearly we will also get the views of our parents directly, but examples from other schools would-be much appreciated like do you have drop in sessions for parents to find out more about something going on in school, a new initiative, skills support, exhibitions by the students. How do they run logistically, is it open, appointments, timed slots. What works for different age groups KS2/3/4. Anything you do to make them more accessible.

(Sorry, that turned out to be quite long, I am very grateful for any suggestions, big or small!)

Thank you!

We create timed bookable online slots via eventbrite, it is a hell of a job, but so much easier than bits of paper.
We hold the meetings with the child's teacher, and have other staff around. We offer tea and coffee and cake as some parents are rushing from work.
The parents generally child sit for each other and we ensure that every hour the staff get at least 10 minutes off.
We are very strict about parents going over 10minutes and also running late ourselves.
We have done an art exhibition previously that was nice.

In my DD's school. It is held over two evenings. We book online for 10 minute slots. We book one month in advance. Some days before the consultations, the Headteacher sends out some information on what I would roughly call an agenda which is mainly expectations for children in each year group, mainly based on the national curriculum. On the evening itself, the specialist teachers (music, PE, art, gardening) are also available to talk to parents. But we do not book in advance to talk to the specialist teachers. Sometimes parents fill in a very short questionnaire at the end of the meeting (this is done away from the teachers). Purpose of the questionnaire is to find out if parents found the meeting useful, if they got the information they needed and suggestions on how to improve the meetings in future. The school also uses the evenings to solicit for suggestions on something the school is working on by putting up boards in the school hall where parents can write down ideas. This had worked very well the year the school was revising its school values.

Bell rings every ten minutes to show slot time is over. Be strict about moving on. This worked well at DS's previous school and does not happen at current school.

People before us started their 10 minutes slot on time and took 27 minutes. My husband actually interrupted and said to the teacher are you aware of the time? The teacher looked grateful.

If longer time is requires suggest booking a new appointment or returning at the end of the session.

A parent's evening where the child can guide parents though their work which would not be seen at home

Strong guidance to teachers that the parents evening should be a "no surprises" event - i.e. any major issues etc should already be known to the parents and the parent's evening should just be a chance to sum things up. It should not be as happened to me a chance to raise that "your child may be on the autism spectrum" - he isn't by the way!

I want from a parents' evening.

1. To see any teachers I think I need to see. Because they're doing fine in that subject doesn't mean I don't have any concerns. Nor do I want to find that they have Miss R and Mr T for maths and I can only see Mr T but have questions about something Miss R is doing.

1. No children before year 9/10. Please. A session which starts with the teacher asking "how do you think you've done" followed by addressing the pupil the whole time would be better done in school time. I don't need to witness that.

I may want to say something that I don't want the child to hear-they're having problems with the child behind them poking them or they've been finding it hard socially and you keep asking for partners can you partner them with someone type thing. Also it's harder to question the teacher and they're more likely to get defensive in front of pupils.

1. And I don't need a run down on the syllabus either. I can look that up online. If you want to give me a sheet at the end fine.

1. Run to time as much as possible. Bell after 10 minutes is great. Encourage teachers/parents to move on.

1. Space to sit while waiting. When I had a bad back, and there was only one chair outside each space I found it quite difficult.

1. Being able to see SENCO/head of year etc even if they don't teach.

1. I want to know a fair assessment. Not a "he got 60% in the last test" or "he's currently working at 4+". Both of those could be brilliant (everyone else got 40% or below/working at 3-) or dreadful (everyone else got 80% or above/working at 6+). He's working towards the middle of the cohort, which hopefully if he continues will put him at roughly c/level 5 at GCSE is better.

1. I don't want to be encouraged to look at the A-level photography exhibition or donate to charity. I want to be in, see the teachers and come out again.

1. If you have a list, go down (as much as possible) in order. Finding the parent in front leaves and Josie's parents run in and sits down even though you're before her on the list and you were there first is frustrating. I love it when the teacher says "sorry, but I need to see X as they're first" and never mind if a teacher does it to me.

Thank you, all really helpful and greatly appreciated

They run my dds parents eve appalling always behind to top it off people who are late but we're meant to be before me still get to go before me because of the order!!!!!

child minding available in the gymnasium

Primary or secondary?

Thanks again, interesting and helpful stuff

(Ages 7 to school leavers)

Brews for both staff and parents, preferably with cake or biscuits.

Actually being shown the work your child has done

A loud bell at the end to signify the end.

Older kids as parking attendents and guides.

Sessions on revision or study skills /Internet safety

Longer than four minute slots! And force children by the format of the forms to spread appointments with various staff about ten minutes apart.

Have all staff together in a hall rather than in classrooms, hate trawling around back and forth

Have career stalls and guidance for year nine upwards

Real chairs, not tiny ones

Have floating staff to chat if there are queues and guide people, intervene with parents who take up too much time.

Have a parent questionnaire to be done while waiting

Have a second hand uniform stall

My two are

• have later times available for working parents.

• allow children to come to that way they can bear what going on and both the teacher and parents can engage with the child to move forward

Online booking of slots - working parents can't always get to the sheet on the classroom door in time.

Booking sufficiently far in advance so that you can make arrangements at work to attend.

Keeping to time.

Factual information about progress, but also a sense of how DC are behaving / seem to be feeling at school.

Thank you, more great stuff