Bringing children to parent-teacher meeting?

[mr87]

I'm new to the UK (and to being a school mum) and I want to know the etiquette when it comes to parent-teacher meetings. We have our very first one next week for my daughter who is in Reception. I am signed up for a 15 minute block of time. Would it be inappropriate to bring my children, 2 and 4? My husband is out of the country for work, we just moved here and don't know anyone/haven't made friends. All our family is back in the states. Is my only choice here to hire a random stranger to babysit my kids, or can I just bring them along? I have anxiety about hiring an unknown sitter, plus there's just the added expense. Just trying to explore my options 😩

If you gave them an ipad with headphones with Peppa Pig on and a packet of crisps would it mesmerise them so you could talk? Might be worth trying the most mesmerising option you can think of.

Don’t worry I expect many will be in the same position.
I have always had to take mine and they have either sat outside where some drawing was laid on or come in with me and it’s been fine.

just explain to the school. I never took mine at primary, secondary they have to go apparently. lots of people do take them at primary but we would leave one parent at home with the kids and the other one of us would go to parents evening or we would get grandma in to help. As you don't have those options, like a lot of parents at our school don't, then I am sure the school will be fine with them.

just take stuff to occupy them or you will really struggle to concentrate on what you are trying to discuss.

Depends on the school - ours tend to involve the children in the discussion from KS2 onwards, and in KS1 they put books and a bit of Lego or colouring in in the areas outside the classroom for kids to play with while parents are in the actual discussion.

Of course DD2 grabbing DD1's books and announcing "you can look at her Maths jotter - I'm going to check her Maths and English books" was NOT quite expected (I seem to have raised the world's smallest Ofsted inspector)

I take mine and they sit outside. It’s very tricky to talk about someone and ask questions in an unguarded way when the person is staring at you.

When I was a Reception teacher children quite often came to parents' evening and, unless they were out of control and wrecked the room (it happened) ,it wasn't a problem at all.

We take ours. They have a new system now where the child is involved, the teacher asks them their views on their work etc. It doesn't work though. The kids just sit there saying "Um.... um.... um.... maths is okay?" It's awkward. Still, even before then I've always had to take the kids. No childcare options. If the school don't want kids in at the meetings they'll provide somewhere for them to hang around in the school.

FacebookRanger, That's exactly why we stopped it. The vast majority of kids (KS2) didn't add anything useful to the meeting and in fact hindered an honest discussion.

Lots of parents take kids to ours, they sit just outside the class while the parents speak to the teacher. I have always found a screen and a film useful at distracting younger ones. I wouldn’t want my child part of the discussion though as I want to discuss how they are achieving and if they are trying hard but failing then I don’t want to undermine their efforts.