Parents' evening sign up

[chutneypig]

I'd like to propose a new system of signing up for parents' evening at my children's school as I feel there are issues with our current system where parents are asked to sign up on sheets inside the classroom door, which are put up at 8.45.

I'd be very interested to hear how your schools handle sign up and whether you feel it's a fair system. I'm guessing none are perfect but there must be approaches which work for most families and the schools as well.

[chutneypig]

Are the online systems very expensive RustyDalek?

[slippermaiden]

Our parents evening runs 315 to 730 over two evenings. I work nights so might not be able to make one of the nights, so really appreciate it being a choice of days. Then a letter in book bags with a return slip. You circle the day and preferred time slot, usually get what we want

[WhereHas1999DissappearedToo]

At DD's primary when she was in year 6, you would get a letter sent home and you put down your preferred slot, then your child gives it to the teacher and it's first in first served. Which seems fair.

Now at secondary, we have online booking. So much easier!

[chutneypig]

Are there any negatives for the on line approach - although I can imagine the head ache of setting it up Phonyics! As long as there is an access point for those without internet access as has been mentioned.

[Sprink]

The sign up sheet scrum sounds barbaric! And inherently unfair.

[RustyDalek]

We use PTO Online; I'm not on the finance side, so I'm not sure exactly how much it costs - probably a fair amount, but the support is free and very good.

Our setup is more complicated, partly because we're a junior school and the infant school are not very good at keeping SIMS updated/accurate, so we have to sort all that out for the new year 3, and the first parents' evening is 'settling-in' one early in the first term.

The other reason it's complicated is that the first evening is just with the class teacher, but year 4-6 are taught maths and literacy in 3 groups per year instead of two (we have two classes per year), and parents can book appointments with both the Maths and Lit teacher, who may or may not be the same person. So we have to set the system up again after the first evening.

[Wait4nothing]

The siblings takes a bit of organising but not too troublesome. Makes it easier on the night. We are also encouraged to get all parents to sign up - but I find the ones I have to nag just book an appointment and don't show up anyway so I tend not to waste my time.

[Wait4nothing]

We also stream for maths and literacy but parents just see 1 teacher (the main teacher) and we organise notes between us.

[RustyDalek]

Wait4nothing - we used to do that, but SMT decided that it would make it easier for the teachers if they didn't have to write detailed notes just before parents' evening (though of course they do still swap notes at other times), also feedback from parents was that they preferred to be able to talk to the person who actually taught their child Maths or Lit.

[Haggisfish]

If you don't get a slot, though, you could just ask to see the teacher on a different day altogether.

[o0]

We get a slip hmie where you tick which one of the twos days is most suitable and they teachers then choose the time slots and sends everyone a slip home with the details.

I always write on the slip to ask for an appointment straight after school and they always give me one of the first ones. I have a disability so it's easier for me to stick around after school than come home then go back later on that day. School are very understanding.

[Sirzy]

We get a letter home and have to pick ideal slot, as I finish work at 3.15 I generally just write a "whatever is left" message as I have the flexibility to fit in with any after school time.

[mum9876]

Infant school was sign up on a sheet by the classroom. It was unfair for those at work and you rarely got there in time to get a convenient slot.

Junior school you fill in a form with preferred date and time range. Seems to work better.

[superbaghag]

Sign up sheets used to go on notice board in building where classrooms were. For security reasons no parents are allowed in buildings without a chaperone. Can't wait to see how they handle sign up in 4 weeks. They are going to need a lot of extra staff ;)

[AsBrightAsAJewel]

We send home a letter with half hour blocks of time to tick against. We ask for three half hour options to be ticked to give some flexibility. The first year we did this we had complaints as we hadn't tied up siblings and allocated time slots that meant parents waiting around between appointments. So the next year we asked for all siblings to be returned on one form, then had a two hour staff meeting with teachers all negotiating appointments for their parents so siblings meetings could be accommodated with overrun/travel between room times but fairly close together. The problem occurs when everyone wants the same half hours option and only ticks one box, especially when they have two children and want both appointment in that time. Sadly the abuse teachers got for not accommodating needs (which it is impossible to do for everyone) meant the following year we retuned to the sign up sheets where parents can make their own decisions about how that match siblings appointments. Parents who can't come in can phone and the office staff will book for them. We even have additional staff on the four phone lines when the sign up sheets first go public to try and make it fair.

[redskybynight]

Letter home with slots to indicate which ones you can make (junior).

90% of parents drop and run (and by Year 5/6 most are not even going near school) so any sort of sign up on sheets system would not work at all. I'm actually mildly incredulous that this system works at any school these days!!

[Feenie]

Slips home, choice of hour ticked by parent, appointments arranged when all letters are back.

Wait4nothing - maybe you could try saying 'please'? Parents aren't supposed to request a specific time at our school, but a little bit of politeness goes a long way when arranging 30 appointments into a jam packed schedule. Mysteriously, parents who demand a specific time and don't ask politely never get the time they demanded at our school, either. Very strange.

[AsBrightAsAJewel]

Teacher across our school also notice and share between ourselves the parents that always demand the last appointment. Funnily enough they rarely get it when we organise our own. They may get the next to last, but teachers aren't stupid they know they've been requested so the parent can stay for nearly an hour instead of 15 minutes!

[chutneypig]

I've always asked for as late as possible (politely!) purely to avoid having to ask for time off work. Even when the system has worked and I have got appointments in the past, it's usually the dregs left as the majority of families go for the later slots so both parents can attend. This time I won't even have a day's notice and may well end up with appointments on two different days if slots are limited.

I haven't said anything to school before as I know I'm very much in the minority with not having a parent dropping off at least a couple of times a week. More of the reception parents are now in the same situation so it seems a good time to raise it.

[wigglylines]

We use this online system. It works very well.

www.parentseveningsystem.co.uk/

[RueDeWakening]

We used to have sign up sheets but have moved over to an online booking system for the last couple of years, which seems to work much better. It goes live at 10am, so those at work/doing school run have time to get in & turn the computer on, and only takes a few seconds to get an appointment ime.

[youbethemummylion]

I am you get a choice we get a letter telling us when our appointment is you take it or dont get to see the teacher end of story.

[Groovee]

Letter is sent home with a choice of half hour slots, you choose which slot and teacher attempts to accommodate you. They also check with sibling groups so appointments do not clash

[Lindy2]

Online booking here. It is great. I log on and book my time slot whilst the kids are eating breakfast.

[Pud2]

Rustydalek - do you know what the online system is called? I would be interested to find out about it.