Parent's Evening this week - How honest do you want me to be?

[nalubeadsgirl]

Parent's - asking honestly...What do you want your child's teacher to tell you at parent's evening? What questions would you want answering? Finally, would you want to know if your child was 'below average'? If so, how would you like me to phrase this?

Just be good to hear honestly from some parents. Teaching is very political, as I'm sure you all know. Help me to help you! (i'm already working my socks off for your kids!)

Is this your first year teaching nalubeadsgirl?

Rookie question here to other parents: when do you want to know levels? At every parents evening or just at the end of the year?

Our PFB is in Y2 so going to do sats but I haven't been told where he is and we've had our PE for this term. There are no academic concerns that I have been told about (apart from refusing to write stories and fidgeting a lot) and teacher let slip the level he got on a maths test paper which she clearly hadn't meant to tell us and I was very pleasantly surprised with it but of course he might not be working at that level or indeed assessed at that level overall by the end of the year. So should I have asked the NC level he is working at in that and in other subjects?

I'm still too shy to ask even given the fact that I was presented with his IEP to sign at PE, I still couldn't ask what level he is working to. So can I ask from the other side? Teachers: how would you take me asking about levels if you work in a school that clearly doesn't like to tell parents anything except for a vague nod to NC levels for 2 subjects in the y1 end of term report? Would it make you uncomfortable, especially if it is school policy not to say anything? Would you be more likely to tell a parent about levels if there was nothing to worry about, something to worry about or do you think everyone should know? I could kick myself for not asking now!

I just want to be told the truth (especially with the fidgeting worry whilst we wait for various appointments to get DS assessed) but the communication at our school is dreadful even though the school itself seems very good. I have no idea why. I think DS is doing ok but reading this thread has sent a bit of a chill down my back with all the stories of "DC is doing fine" and then clearly not...

OP - yes, I think one of the most important things is that a parent feels the teacher cares about their child. Then you can take the negative stuff, if its told in a compassionate manner - so that parent and teacher can find a way to resolve any problems.

I'm not bothered about levels but I want to know if there is a problem as soon as it is obvious. IMHO summer term parents evening is a waste of time far better early in the autumn term.

I think once a year would be enough for me.

So far DS is in Y2 and I have never ever had any objective feedback/report/levels.

I have only been told he is fine, was shown work or had reports that didn't tell me a thing.

As I said in an earlier post - I did figure out that things weren't fine, but when I asked what he was doing in maths, asked for levels and predictions I was told that the school doesn't give that information to parents.

I can see that it's not just our school, I just don't get that attitude. At the end of the day they want DC to achieve and have good SATS results to show. I want to help DS, why would they want to shut me out?

So this PE would have been perfect. I suppose I could grit my teeth and just ask her, DS has an OT appointment on Monday which I need to tell her about so I could ask her his levels so I can tell the OT whether there are any worries about levels.

By the sounds of it though in this thread, sometimes even them telling the NC levels doesn't mean they mean it!!

Gabid, I feel your pain...we were given general level (no sublevel) in maths and English at the end of last year so I'm a bit better off than you then perhaps. I don't get the attitude either.

So Feenie it wouldn't matter to you if your child was not making as much progress as everybody else?

I would want to know if he was making good progress. Good progress is good progress - as opposed to no progress, or satisfactory progress. I wouldn't know about the other children's progress, because I wouldn't be told.

And from a teaching perspective, a child who was making little or no progress needs that identifying immediately and addressed. In our school, this would be picked up immediately, and something would be done about it - and yes, the parents would be informed. But as a teacher if wouldn't have anything to do with the other children - and as a parent it would be none of my business.

You know what the best thing about ds1's last PE (last month) was?

The fact that his teachers were so pleased with his progess and are as delighted as we are

My son is still not where he "should" be wrt NC levels in reading and writing but is making good progress for the first time in his school career (he is 8 and in Y4).

So...yes, knowing the NC levels is good knowledge to have BUT its not the be all and end all...every child is different and progress and progress is whether the child is a 1a or a 4a!

feenie
"And from a teaching perspective, a child who was making little or no progress needs that identifying immediately and addressed"
I wish all schools/teachers felt the same as you

I want to know levels, I want to know where their achievements are compared nationally, I want to hear at least ONE nice thing about them and I want to hear about the things they are struggling with.

I make great effort to communicate with the school, and twice a yearI expect that to be reciprocated.

I cannot understand why schools don't give out NC levels (unless they have something to hide)

I have had parents eve with both DC tonight and both teachers gave out their levels that they are on now and in DS's case (yr2) predicted SATS scores after being made to promise I wouldn't come after the teacher in may with a shotgun

The problem with using levels is that they aren't static. A child might test at a particular level, but not be working solidly at that level yet. Or might actually be working solidly at a level but have come out lower on a test. So they are only a broad brush indicator, and many parents don't grasp that. It's difficult, I know.

I bet if you shone a bright light into most people's eyes they would admit that the single most useful thing would be to know a child's class position. But obviously that's impossible.

I prefer to know where my child is in terms of national average, not the class. In one school most Y2s might be working at a level 3c whereas in another the majority may be at 1a - standards may vary.

3rd year teaching. New school though. :)

I did actually hint at levels - said fitting in with national expected levels for his/her age etc, or just slightly below but i'm confident with work from me and them we will make it! So shoot me now :0 oops!

We do
Above / below / meeting national expectations plus
Making good progress / making expected progress / making less progress than expected.

I would not do the 'position in class' as our cohorts vary WILDLY from year to year. I have children who are in middle groups this year who would have been absolutely my most able last year.

Any problems are raised with parents as and when they occur in the year, so a parents' evening is genuinely a review of how things are going.

My son took a loonnnggg time to get to level 2's...he was "on the cusp" for AGES - it took well over a year for him to get there.

Am hoping at this final assessments in june/july he will be 3's across the board (not just in maths) but who knows?

I think the word "fine" should be banned from parents' evenings!

I'll tell you what would help. A list of what the DCs are being taught and/or the targets. I have absolutely no idea what DD1 does all day.

I get incredibly frustrated at parents evening when I am talked at about what my child is doing - rather than how he is doing. Even when you ask point blank "yes, but is he where he is supposed to be?", I get another load of waffle. On top of this I find lack of enthusiasm for positive points is very dispiriting - I know other kids who have great plus points in my DS's class - boundless enthusiasm, curiosity, or original ways of seeing things and expressing themselves, yet this is not mentioned - just endless blurb about what they are doing or their weak points. My perfect feedback would be 1. level in each topic 2, what they do really well (with examples), what they need to work on. 3. If there are problems - what is the school doing and what can parents do?"

I agree totally Michaelah. It's beyond me why some teachers just say "She's fine" and then seem flummoxed that you want to know any more than that one little adjective about your child .

Our school is an infant school so only goes up to Y2 and so far I officially haven't heard anything but 'fine', no levels, or how he is really doing - I know they have to give levels at the end of this year (Y2).

I thought it's because the HT didn't believe in pushing too young children as 4-7 year olds are often not developmentally ready to read/do maths or whatever, which I agree with - I was almost 7 when I started school in Germany.

However, when I tried to find out about my DS being behind in maths in Y2 at age 6.5 I seemed to run against a brick wall. Nobody wanted to say anything more than 'fine'

A tad off topic, but at tonight's parents' evening, one of the teachers in my school discovered that a parent had been recording the meeting on her phone!

I'm sure you have to be warned of that... otherwise, no company would do the "messages may be recorded for training purposes" thing.

Coming late to this thread, OP - but what you just told us at 19:05.18, would be quite fine to me. Stated factually - that it was hard for the kids to progress having had so many non-permanent teaching staff, and they haven't progressed much but were now catching up and doing well. I would also be keen to know how much time you think they would need under you to catch up to where they ought to be. And finally, what I could do as a parent at home to help them progress - what kind of books to read, what sort of writing to do or what topics with maths for example. And what books that would be useful (and not a waste of money) to help them catch up.
That way they get the facts (about the class situation) but also the praise (that their child has worked very hard and done well considering the circumstances).

@ recording! I am enough when parents answer their phone during an appointment.

Maybe just recording if the other parent wasn't able to make it, but WOULD have been polite to ask...