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.

Sign up forms on the classroom door at my child's school. It means I have to rely on him signing me up as I am a full time teacher and unable to get to his school during school hours! I complain about the system every single parents' evening - still hasn't changed

At my school we have an online sign up. Parents with no access to a computer at home can do it at reception. I much prefer it, as I can see in advance who I've got, and start my notes (I like them to run in Parents' Eve order )

Oh yes - and at my child's school both evenings are over by 6pm.

At my school, one evening runs 4-6.30, and the other 4:30-7pm, so working parents have a fair crack at an appointment.

That looks very good wigglylines. Much cheaper than I thought too. Do your school use it for event bookings too?

Pud2- It's called Parent Teacher Online -I can do a link later but I'm on a train atm, so it would take ages...

AsBrightAsAJewel " 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."

Really? You hadn't foreseen that that might be a problem? I'm not surprised there were complaints.

We do what most schools on here seem to - send out a letter with broad time slots to select, then we allocate appointments coordinating with siblings. The letter makes clear that we will do our very best to accommodate preferences, but can't guarantee it. Personally, I wouldn't like parents to make their own appointments, as I prefer to be in control of who I have last - I'm afraid there are some people who opt for that one as a means to get a much longer chat.

Ds's school were given a free trial for a website that does it all for them basically, and we just had to login and pick a slot - looks like it is simply first come first serve. Feel sorry for the teachers though as the slots are from 3.40 until 8.30!!

Can you not block some of those appointments times out though? I'd be wanting to factor in a loo break or two for a start.

"AsBrightAsAJewel " 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."
Really? You hadn't foreseen that that might be a problem? I'm not surprised there were complaints"

Yes - but if they only ticked, for example, 3.30-4.00pm on child A's form, then only 5.00-5.30pm on child B's the best we could do bearing in mind other parents want specific slots as well was child A 3.45pm and Child B 5.15pm ... one could assume we were meeting their narrow requests. some parents send mum to one meeting and dad to another, or nip out to collect a child from somewhere between appointments. This is just one example, but there were others that were similar.
Plus parents who only signed up for 4.30 - 5.00pm for two children in different classes. As we tried to operate a first-come-first-serve basis and one teacher had already filled both sessions in that slot we couldn't accommodate and phoned to offer an alternative - which wasn't popular as assumptions had been made that they would get their request.

I hope we look at online booking next year. Giving parents the control, either by sign up sheets or online booking, is far easier as they then can see what works for them without teachers trying to second-guess what they want. Plus it would save teacher time.

Express an preference for a time slot (30 min windows) on a day (usually 2 evenings).
Turn up whenever you want, take a number, and you are seen in that order.
EXCEPT people seem to have worked out that if you have more than one child, you take a number for every teacher you need to see,and then after you have waited to see the first one, you can queue jump because everyone else waiting is 10-11-12, and you are 4, so you go next......
Get to look at childs books while waiting.
It does work well when noone abuses the system.

When mine were at Primary, you had a letter home and returned slip with first and 2nd choices of time slot on it. Teachers numbered them as they came in then at end of the week did their best to allocate first choices, in order they were returned. Seemed fair, although I always thought it was another quite big admin task for the teachers - still, it would have been impossible for the office to have fielded calls from all 12 classes (this was just in the Juniors).
Do like the idea of an on-line booking slot - wouldn't have thought it should be too complicated in this day and age, and even people who don't have a PC tend to now have a smart phone don't they.

Ours have parents' evening over two evenings. They send a slip home and you indicate your preferred slots and normally you get one of those. We also indicate names and year groups of siblings so they coordinate the times.

(At secondary the online system was considered but for various reasons which I won't go on to on this thread unless asked, we (parent group in conjunction with teachers view) decided not to give it a go).

We have just changed ours this year - parents evening next week so we shall see. We have two days within the same week.

In past - sign up sheets go on door outside classroom, one evening and letter home that night. Parents could then either sign up on the sheet themselves or send a reply slip indicating preferred day and time range (teacher ten slots the in, obv earlier handed in, more chance of getting first preference.)

This year only the letter has gone out. Parents to return asap with preferred date and preferred time slot range (need to give 1st, 2ndm 3rd choice - each slot abt half hour) They also need to indicate if there are siblings in the school and which class.

Then teachers have had a big get together for half an hour this Friday to try and slot parents into their preferred slots, taking into account any sibling slots with other teachers. Obviously not everyone has their first choice, and some have had to have third choice - in a couple of cases, some haven't got their preferred day even - it just hasn't been possible. No doubt there will be some complaints on Monday - we shall see.

I am not sure there is a best system tbh -

At DD's secondary t is done online. You click on which teacher(s) you want to see and the start time - and it works it all out for you, giving you a "catch up" break in the middle. Last year was the first time we had used it and it worked really well - so much easier for parents and teachers!

Our school is pretty big, almost 400 pupils. School send you out appointments, and try to time them close together for different dc. There are a few extras so they can put you elsewhere if it doesn't suit.

Forgot to say with the online system parents with more than 1 child at the school get to book a day ahead of the rest as they need time slots closer together. IE parents of siblings can book from Monday, everyone else from Tuesday. If you are naughty and book on Monday when you shouldn't the office deletes your booking. There are also comfort breaks on the schedule for the teachers.
Parents evening is done over 2 evenings and I have never had a problem booking a slot that suits me even though I only have one child there at present and have to wait until the second day to book. I do always log on early in the morning though as I want one of the later slots.
I like the system and I think most of the other parents are happy too.

Thanks for everyone's input, it's been really useful. I'll mention online booking to the school this week and see what they think.

We get told when our slots are (which date out of the two, and which times). If it doesn't suit, then you have to swap in the playground with someone else or miss out. Also, no consideration for siblings slots on the same day, so the playground is awash with parents swapping yellow slips with each other. An absolute mission, but at least pta runs a creche at £1 a child.

Three schools here:

1. Does sign up sheets. If you must have a particular time, then you need to be early, but if you've got general times you want it works well because you can choose. They send out a letter, but generally people remind each other in the playground too. If you haven't signed up within a couple of days the class teacher will remind you. If you come too late and can't make the slots left, then you go and discuss with the teacher and they'll see if they can meet before/after school some time.
2. Tells you exactly when, and that's your slot unless someone else can't do their time which suits you. I wish we could at least make a request of say early/medium/late. We've got just after school this time, which probably means dh can't come, other people would like that time I know.
3. (Secondary) Done on the computer. You log in and pick your time. As long as you know your password and don't have to send for a new one and the technical person is away and it takes 10 days you will get a good choice. If you have that experience you will be more limited, and may not get all you want, but still have a good number.

We get a letter home asking who we'd like to see and at what time. I normally only see DC's form teacher though i did see the headmaster on one occasion.

When all the slips have been returned, the form teacher allocates appointments trying to keep where possible to the slot requested (15min slots)or very close to it.

The ones who are late sending in reply slips just get given what is left though if none are convenient there is an option to arrange a meeting either before or after school.