Year 7 Parental Consultations

[Polgara2]

How are these organised at your school? We only get to see the form tutor at dds' school. I find this really annoying as if you have any subject related questions the form tutor doesn't know and even if they promise to look into that is the last you hear of it! Anyway now dd2 has come home and said instead of the usual 10 minutes we are now only getting 5 minutes with her form tutor! What is the point

I think it's fairly common to get a 5 min slot with the form teacher (usually in the Autumn Term though) to 'touch base' and check they've settled and everyone is happy. Usual practice is that Yr7s get a full Parents evening in the Summer Term - are you sure this isn't what is happening for you ?
The school have to spread out the Parents evenings (for the teachers sanity) and need to get Yr11s in in the Autumn (so canaction anything that needs to chage before exams), Yr 9 in early Spring (because of option choosing, etc.), so, the youngest, and newest to the school, are commonly latest in the year to give the staff time to get to know the pupils better.
A lot of schools also have a 'target setting' or review day meeting either termly or half way through the year and this is commonly only with one teacher.

You don't have a "proper" parent's evening, the type where you can have chance to meet the teacher? All the schools I have worked in and I have heard of have one parents eve a year per year group.
As Backforgood says it might be just a touch base opportunity especially if the tutor is going to be the same for several years.
You ought to clarify the parents eve situation with the school.

Some schools are moving in this direction - I think it's a retrograde step.

At the school my boys go to we got two 'proper' parents' evenings in yr7, when you could see as many of their subject teachers as you wanted. One in the first term - a settling in meeting; then the second at the end of the summer term.

If you have particular issues, I would contact school and ask to meet with/speak with teachers. Or you could send a note in to each subject teacher with your email address and phone number, saying that you would like to touch base with them.

Most (good) schools recognise that parental support is crucial, and will accommodate you, even if it's not the normal pattern in your school.

Unfortunately no, we never get the chance to meet with subject teachers. Actually maybe in year 11 (will tell you next year!)

I have a year 10 dd so I know how rubbish this system is already. Communicating with parents is not one of the schools strongest points
They don't really give us many in-roads.

I think the one we have next week is the yr7 settling in one, late! I just don't understand why if other schools can manage to have full parents evenings we can't?

Just been to my year 7 parents evening, and saw most teachers. My son had to arrange with the teachers the actual times, and was advised to leave 5 minutes between appointments. It was a good evening as we got to meet the teaches and to put names to faces. Some showed us actual work, others just chatted. I feel like we have a connection to the teachers now, rather than them being faceless people.
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If there are particular teachers you wish to speak to, especially after the consultation, don't feel that you can't call the school and request a meeting or return phonecall to discuss your child in more depth. You might not get a face to face but it would be extremely rare for a teacher to refuse to give you a call. From experience though do let them know a suitable time to contact you - really frustrating to make numerous phonecalles to parents when they are not available.

Pokhara, it is the same at the school my DS's go to, until they get to year 10 and then you get to see the subject teachers. And yr's 7-9 get the day off too. All apps are done thought the day.

At the secondary school I work in, from Yr7 onwards you see the subject teachers.

polgara (bloody auto-correct)