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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

Not enough time to see all the parents on parent's night?

60 replies

var123 · 19/01/2015 14:04

Is this ok or not? The teacher has 18 appointment slots and 30 children. Its an important subject that matters to everybody so almost all parents want an appointment.

So the teacher has allocated appointments to just over half the parents and told the other children that their parents can get an email update if they want one.

Its year 8 so not a GCSE year, but more important than any other that has gone before.

OP posts:
SunnyBaudelaire · 19/01/2015 14:06

i wonder how she chose tbh

caravanista13 · 19/01/2015 14:09

Not acceptable. Have you spoken to someone more senior?

Original poster
var123 · 19/01/2015 14:12

I am not sure... maybe a combination of first come, first served or just the ones she has something to say about???

I feel that she should have something to say about my DS even if he's neither top or bottom of the class. Moreover, its not giving herself a chance to find out things eg that DS finds x difficult.

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Original poster
var123 · 19/01/2015 14:13

No, I haven't. I was just wondering if IABU. After all, the school created the 18 appointment system and gave her 30 children.

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HaPPy8 · 19/01/2015 14:14

I would think that if you contact them and ask for an appointment, even at another time, they will be happy to do so. Some parents will probably be happy with the email. If they refused an appointment all together, then i think it would be unreasonable.

Seeline · 19/01/2015 14:16

Did the school create the system? If so I assume all the other subject teachers only get to see 18 sets of parents - if not what is so different about this subject. Do the other subjects have appointments at all?
How long is parents evening, and how long are the appointments for?

Original poster
var123 · 19/01/2015 14:18

I'm a little surprised TBH because we were told all the appointments had been taken before we were invited to say if we'd like an appointment. Maybe she was arranging the appointments she wanted last week?

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Original poster
var123 · 19/01/2015 14:21

I think not all parents are interested to speak to the teachers in subjects like art, dt, drama, even geography or science. So, all teachers get 18 appointments but they are not over-subscribed. Maths and English are different though.

Funnily enough we parents got a letter from the school saying how important this evening was and how we should all attend unless we had a very good excuse!

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Original poster
var123 · 19/01/2015 14:22

Appointments are 10 mins - so 6 per hour and the evening lasts for 3 hours.

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nowitsenough · 19/01/2015 14:23

At dd's school we've found out that we NEVER get to see a subject teacher at parent's evening! Shock Confused Angry We sit for five minutes with the form teacher who reads out the comments on the report to us (we're not allowed to take it away, but do get a copy without the comments ???? Confused and when we ask any questions, she says, I don't know, but I'll find out for you and then never gets back to us Sad

I'd like to change schools, but dd wants to stay.

Original poster
var123 · 19/01/2015 14:23

HaPPy8 - that's what i did and I just back a reply saying if I really wanted it, I could have a phone call but not a face to face meeting.

(I am not an ASBO type mum in case some of you are now imagining that!).

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Seeline · 19/01/2015 14:24

Utterly ridiculous! I would complain to the school. How can they hold parents meetings when by their system, a lot of the parents won't be able to see all the teachers!! They need to look at their set up again.
Do the subject teachers teach kids from more than one class in a year - I'm thinking it maybe 18 slots between 60 sets of parents in some subjects?

SunnyBaudelaire · 19/01/2015 14:24

and what is an ASBO type mum exactly?

DoctorDonnaNoble · 19/01/2015 14:26

Our appointments are 5 minutes long. I have two year 8 sets so 64 students to see. Impossible.
It's worse for year 7 where I teach all of them - fortunately that's Drama so not everyone wants to see me.
When I have more students than appointments I have a list of those I want to see, first come first served any remaining appointments and then say that anyone wishing to speak to me can email, or dive in if they see me free. There's not a lot else I can do. I do my best.

Original poster
var123 · 19/01/2015 14:28

Seeline - I am not sure if she has more than one year 8 set to teach. I wondered that too.

I had thought of contacting either the HT or the head of year or even just the head of the subject in question but I am hesitating in case it causes trouble for the teacher when its not her fault.

I don't know that the teacher has made herself available for 18 appointments. She could've decided to go home at 5pm! So maybe it is her fault, but I assume that she's doing what she can and its the system, not her that's the problem.

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EdithWeston · 19/01/2015 14:30

It is crappy when that happens.

It has happened to us, but there was a pre-emptive apology for shortage of slots, and invitation to email the teacher (either for email feedback or to book an appointment, or to book a time for a phone call) or to see the head of department instead. It was, as far as I can tell, a one-off.

I am sometimes amazed at how available they can be. Perhaps they find that if they make the offer, not that many people actually take it up?

Original poster
var123 · 19/01/2015 14:30

an ASBO type mum is the type who might be physically or verbally threatening to a teacher. The sort of mother you would wish to minimise contact with if you were a teacher.

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honeysucklejasmine · 19/01/2015 14:33

In secondary this will often happen. Too many kids, not enough time, and the ones who you want to come never do. I am sure the teacher won't be put out at all if you just pop in a note asking for a phone call. Smile

Original poster
var123 · 19/01/2015 14:35

Could it be that Y8 is the unimportant year as far as secondary school is concerned? i.e. not an exam year, not an intake year and not even the year when the children choose their subjects?

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Unexpected · 19/01/2015 14:41

This seems fairly common at secondary level. Our parents' evening goes on for longer than 3 hours but appointments are only 5 mins and it's still impossible to see everyone. The problem is that each teacher is not just teaching one class in a year group but possibly 3 - so that's 90 sets of parents to see! On the one hand, maybe they should be having more parent evenings but on the other hand, with 5 year groups plus a 6th form, not to mention Options evening, 6th form evening, information evenings at the beginning of the year etc etc the teachers would be spending several late evenings every week in school at that rate.

honeysucklejasmine · 19/01/2015 14:44

Each year group should have its own evening. Its simply a numbers game sadly. The teacher will be frustrated too. Give them a ring, they won't mind.

Original poster
var123 · 19/01/2015 14:45

So, its a known thing and its not worth flagging up because nothing can be done about it anyway and it will just make me look like a moaner?

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DoctorDonnaNoble · 19/01/2015 14:47

I'd contact the teacher. I'm sure they'd be happy to arrange some form of contact.

TalkinPeace · 19/01/2015 15:42

At primary we all got to see the teacher
At secondary the teachers try to see everybody, but on occasion I was denied appointments but given an email reason
At 6th form you only get an appointment if the college request one

Simplest is probably to email and ask if there are any points needing to be raised

nowitsenough · 19/01/2015 15:55

I emailed our school to ask if I could see subject teachers and received a reply saying that wasn't their policy, but they could ask any ones we needed to speak to to call or email us. I prefer to speak to them in person.