Are teachers trained in how to give feedback at parents evening?

[Canyoucheckonme]

Just wondering, as my experience is that most can't be...

I have never come across this and I mentor trainee teachers

When were you trained, OP?

I want people to be straight to the point, not waste my time sugar coating shit.

To be perfectly honest we're not "trained" in anything, we are put in schools and told to watch experienced teachers to learn what to do. You're generally left to decipher it for yourself and you don't get time to talk through what you saw with anyone who might help you make sense of it. We also had 3 weeks in college at the start of each term where they mostly wasted our time with group activities that were not very related to teaching then during school placement hours we were expected to do the masters level academic research to write two big assignments. Half of the science trainees on my course didn't pass level 2 maths or English on their first attempt and their curriculum knowledge was also not what I'd expect of people training to teach GCSE and A-level sciences.

The whole setup was a complete disgrace and left most of us with no idea what we were doing and we were told to "fake it til you make it" repeatedly by PGCE tutors. A lot of people didn't bother applying for teaching jobs because they didn't feel qualified to do so at the end of their PGCE even though they passed it. I dread to think how much less training SCITT trainees get.

1. nope, not had any training in communicating with parents at all. I tell a lie - we had a one hour session during teacher training about staying safe around potentially violent parents (always make sure you're between the parents and the door, never the other way around).

2. if we give woolly feedback about how a child is lovely and polite etc then parents complain that we haven't been assessing our subject rigorously enough and they want to know exactly how the kid can improve their algebraic manipulation over the summer 🤷‍♀️

Some support with that at probationer stage, after that probably not much. It's down to individuals skill set, some are very good at interacting with parents, some less so.

As a parent I just want to hear how they are doing academically. All the rest is just fluff. How are they doing, anything we can do to help. Lovely to meet you. Thank you. Move on.
Same here as a parent. I know my DC are nice and well rounded children who generally get on with most people.

With my student I tend to say this is how they're doing, a brief reference to something that stood out, this is what they need to work on, or for a less-positive one this is their current attainment and why, this is what I think their potential is, here's how you can help.

No, but then parents aren't trained in listening or asking questions either.

It's in ECF section 8 (and a bit in section 1) - I've tried to screenshot on my phone, apologies if the image is very small. The material I've seen from the Capita/University of Birmingham training has explicit input on how to manage parents' evenings constructively, including looking at scripts and analysing them.

Sorry that image is terrible, but you can find it in section 8 Learn That here
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-career-framework

@TellMeDinosaurFacts evidencing that standard doesn’t mean you have to give training on parent’s evenings- that’s one provider that’s done it, which seems good, but they won’t all be obliged to include it.

The ECF defines content to be covered in training not standards to be evidenced in assessment (it's kind of weirdly completely separate from the assessment of ECTs), but yes it doesn't specifically say parents' evenings- but I'd be very surprised if any of the major national providers don't cover that as an aspect of communicating with parents and carers in some respect. There will probably be gaps though.

@TellMeDinosaurFacts I mean I’ve literally just done the ECT scheme through a major national provider and we didn’t do any specific training about parents evenings

That sucks then, and I'd be interested to know which one- though appreciate you might not want to say! There was a whole clinic on it in the Capita programme.

I say whole clinic- the clinic was communicating between home/school generally but at least 30mins was specifically on parents evening communication. The providers are always adjusting content at the moment as the programmes are so new so if you have any way to feedback I would definitely do that.

I think this is a tricky area for teachers as parents want different things. I think it best for teachers to stick to the facts and focus on the Childs performance.

Never had training. Learned the hard way.

have notes for each child of three or four things I need to say. Progress, attitude, pointers, concerns.

cover over any notes that relate to other children, some parents are also teachers and can read upside down.

make sure you have the right parent for the right child

dont let people push in, but if a parent hasn’t shown up it’s ok to bring the next appt forward and swap them.

build yourself in a ten minute break half way. But don’t leave your notes on the table!

fix it so you have a parent at the last slot who hasn’t chosen the last slot because they think they get longer, you know who you are!

parents need to parent, so separated parents only get one appointment ( unless there are extenuating circumstances.) they come together.

if a parent starts on an issue that is going to take longer( eg problems at home, issues with school, another teacher, problems with another child) stop them before they get into their flow and say you will make another appointment to discuss the issue.

Stand up and say “Thankyou for coming” when their time is up.

ask the child to wait elsewhere, it’s a parent teacher conference , the parent can report back

make sure all colleagues are finished / safe before you leave, if any colleague looks as though they are having a tough time getting a parent to move on then intervene, apologise and say you need a quick word or there is a phone call in the office or another excuse.

Tick off who you have seen, try to make a quick note about the discussion if you can, mark down no shows , if you offer them another slot after school make sure they only get the same time as everyone else.

Do you not have a list of who you’re seeing at what time?

Also, our secondary school does online only for the once a year meetings with subject teachers (meetings with just form teachers are mostly online too but sometimes in person). 5 minutes each, no overrunning or you get cut off. I guess if you have serious issues to address it might be annoying but as a parent I think it’s so much easier for everyone!

It was never a problem for the secondary pupils I saw three or four times a week because I knew them well. More difficult for drama because it was only one lesson a week, but it was manageable.

But you are the child’s parent, surely you know about your own child's personality? And if you haven’t been called into school during the year or had phone calls home about incidents and poor behaviour then it is pretty much a given that your child has probably been showing positive qualities and attributes in and out of the classroom. It’s encapsulated in one sentence “I have really enjoyed teaching Little PforPizza this year. ” What you are there to find out is how that is all translating into their school work and progress.

Fabulous advice

Because some are sneaky queue jumpers, and shameless with it! “ oh , I saw there was no one at your table so just thought I’d jump in.”

I'm actually interested in both the academic and social things, and would choose the social things if I had to choose one only.

I did a pgce in 2000/2001 and had no training in this at all. I didn't even shadow anyone.

What do you really expect from 5 minute? Tbh, I don't think I ever had any disappointing parents evening at all. I find it rather positive if they have some suggestion to the parents where you can help your dc, like your teacher did. If you want to talk in details, you need to make separate appointment.