Parent's evening, can they do this?

[fartingrainbows]

So, first parent's evening of the year, I have very little contact with the class (haven't met the teacher yet!!) as I work full time. So parent's evening is important. They offered two days this week. One was fine, the other neither of us could make at all (no room for manoeuvre, I have my own parent's evening then as I'm a teacher too) I sent my slip back the next day requesting the day I could make. I now find out that they have prioritised siblings, worked all their appointments out first then given "singles" what was left over. We got the day we can't make.
They are refusing to arrange a different time because the teacher has already given up two evenings. That means I can't meet with the teacher at all.
Not a teacher bashing thread but... how would you proceed with this? It seems unfair that we've missed out not because of our lateness in returning the slip, but because children with siblings in the school are prioritised.

Sorry op, good luck

@AhFlip do you know what happens when a complaint goes to Ofsted? Because you should, being a teacher and all.....(this is not the same with safeguarding and whistleblowing)....they want to know if the complaint has gone through the official channels - so they ask the LA, if they haven't recieved it then they pass it off to the LA. The LA then want to know if it's gone through the official channels so they ask the school. The school will say no and the complaint will go to them. The school will then just ask the complainant if they want to make an official complaint.

My DD last week fell over the day of her parents evening. Got a big swollen lip. I took her home and the teacher kindly lete go in on a non parents evening day after school for a ten minute chat. She was very happy to do it.

Was it the teacher saying they have given up two of their evenings? Because they haven't, parents evening come under directed hours. I would assume that your DC is doing fine given that the teach can't be bothered to see you for 10 mins on a different day but it's appalling and unprofessional of them not to make an appointment to communicate this with you. I'm sure it says something about this in the teachers code of conduct! I'm a teacher btw!

Under section 8

Still chuckling to myself that someone on here, a teacher no less, suggested contacting ousted because a parent didn't get the parents evening slot they preferred.
MN is a parallel universe sometimes.

Most schools I've worked in would have been incredibly understanding of teacher parents with clashes of parents evenings and provided another slot or phonecall chance or similar.

They have their reasons for doing it this way but it doesn't seem fair. I would suggest to them they use an electronic system like parents evening system. The SEN kids are booked on early so the senco can get to their appointments. Then it opens a 8pm one evening. You can book on then - first come first served. We book appointments 10 mins apart for ours and it normally works.

I find this so unhelpful! I think I now realise how accommodating our school is! It was so obvious that you can only make one day so what is the point in offering the other day? Ours have also said if we couldn’t meet on either we could just make another appointment for one day right after school, has the teacher not offered this? (A bit embarrassing if you are also a teacher and coordinate work with the school too). Hope they offer you an appointment.

and sit down for what is invariably expected by the parent to be a much longer session than the allocated slot at parent's evening.

This is actually pretty common, that those parents that a lot of parents who want an extended meeting will book the last slot, or another day. What we do when we have after school meetings with parents that are known for taking too long is to have another teacher or leadership come in at an agreed time with an excuse for the meeting to be wrapped up (phone call, another meeting, etc). That way you don't have a parent just monopolising time for no reason, and have a way of politely wrapping up the meeting without making it look like you are wanting them done. (Some meetings obviously go a lot longer, when there is SEN or other issues being discussed, but the standard parent teacher interview really doesn't need to be longer than ten-fifteen minutes.)

I'm a teacher and I wouldn't dream of alienating working parents by denying them a suitable parent's eve appointment. I bend over backwards to include everybody as it's in the child's best interest (and mine) to work together.

I did once arrange a 6pm appointment (on a different day to the other parents due to work). I organised for the caretaker to lock up late and the head to be around as it was a tricky parent. They didn't turn up. That was annoying. They tried to rearrange and I said I could but I only gave the choice of a few slots that wasn't putting me or anybody else out. There's only so much people feel they can do.

I've slotted parents in over lunchtimes, before school, after school on all sorts of days. I've met parents on the evening of breaking up for Xmas etc etc. We really do try.