taking DCs to parents evening

[workshy]

at my DCs primary the year 5&6s are invited to parent's evening with their parent

now forgive me if I'm wrong but it's parent's evening, not parent and child evening???

I don't want to take my DC as I want to be able to talk honestly, and also have a conversation about high school choices relating to my DC's needs (yr5)

does the school expect me to take them and does it matter if I don't?

My dcs school have expected them to be there since Yr3.
Not my preference, but if you want to chat about something you don't want the dcs to hear then you can always ask them to wait outside / away from the table.
On a few occasions over the years, I've not had one or oanother of my dcs with me for one reason or another when it was their Parents' Evening, and it's never been a problem (except in new staff trying to identify us in the hall when we didn't have appropriate dc there as a clue )

Dd's school seem to encourage it right from reception but it doesn't work for me, I tried once but they now sit outside. I suppose it depends on what you want to discuss. I sometimes want to complain politely about minor issues but don't want dd to pick up on this, I tend to support the school in front of her. If I scheduled another meeting parents evening would be a waste of my and the teachers time.

Perhaps when she is older it will work

Not at primary, I'm not sure that would work. Last one of Y6 perhaps?

We always take DD1 to highschool ones, they would be impossible without her to find the teachers.

In Infants we go without them, but Juniors they come.

I don't mind them coming as its about how they are working and I think it's good that it's all open and the children are involved. Any negative issues can be dealt with together also. The child can have an input in how they feel.

I remember having to wait outside the room at my parents evenings and feeling awkward knowing they were all talking about me.

At DCs school it's optional from Y3 onwards. I've never taken DD as we generally have MIL over to look after DS. This year DD would like to come with us but i'm not so sure.
As you say workshy sometimes you want to be able to talk honestly. Maybe you could mention to the teacher that you don't want to take you DC.

We're meant to take our DC, but I don't.

They never mind, as long as you show up :)

From a teacher point of view, I don't like the children to be there.

Apart from the fact that you can't talk freely with the parents, the children are often quite badly behaved whilst their parents are there, and I have to staple gun my tongue down to avoid picking them up on it.

If you don't want your kids in the room, surely they could wait outside with a book? If they're Yrs 5 and 6, I'm sure they can manage 10 minutes on their own without anything too drastic happening.

Alternatively, stick an ipod in their ears and they'll be oblivious to the world.

the wrap around care is open until 8pm to cover the parents evening and I usually leave them there but now one is in yr 5 apparently she is supposed to come

I may just neglect to pick her up from wrap around before the appointment