Best way to utilise Parents’ Evening slot for Reception child

[BeccaBean]

We have a 5 minute video call slot booked with our DD’s teacher next week. I was wondering what was most important to cover in this brief slot. We had a 8 minute in-person talk before October half term and the teacher didn’t lead other than to say DD had settled very well, was great to have in class and she had no concerns.

DD loves school and is excited to go everyday. She talks about different friends that she plays with and we don’t have any concerns that she isn’t happy or settled. She reads well for her age. She writes a little (can write short sentences with phonetic spelling) and seems on top of maths so are assuming she’s on track. We don’t get any feedback from school but teacher seemed very happy with her during homeschooling. She talks enthusiastically about art projects, “science” etc.

We don’t think she’s being given the right level of reading book (always sight reads anything she brings home easily and can always discuss the story) but aren’t too worried as we have reading books at home. Curious whether she’s on track with maths and writing but would be surprised if not.

We were planning to check in on whether there are any concerns and whether there is anything we should be doing at home. Should we ask about reading books/maths/writing? Is there anything else you would ask?

Was also thinking of asking whether there is a way to get any feedback on what she is doing at school. We asked at the first parents evening and school were planning to introduce Tapestry but it never happened.

Thanks for any ideas - 5 minutes seems such a short time!

All I ever want to know is if they are happy, playing well & behaving appropriately. I think you’ll struggle to find out more than you’ve outlined already in 5 mins tbh.

The first couple of years at school they all learn and settle in at such different paces, they can seem ahead, then fall back, then race ahead again so parents evenings aren't really that informative unless you have major concerns or they tell you about concerns.

If there are no concerns, find out if they are happy/behaving/contributing at school, feedback they are happy at home and they tell you about the day. Ask your dd before the meeting if she likes the teacher and what she likes about her and if it is funny feed it back to the teacher - it is always good to make the teacher feel appreciated. That's about it.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Agree, focus should be on how happy she is / playing / behaviour /contributions in class more than subject progress (unless there is an issue). Love the idea of getting some feedback from her on her teacher and sharing with the teacher! She loves her teacher and I’m sure will have something funny to say.

In reception, I would want to know if the teacher has any concerns about behaviour or learning. Because this is where SEN can start to be picked up, something you might not see at home but looks obviously different from other children in a class of 30.