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Secondary education

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

Original poster

Parents Evening Bookings

36 replies

AlexanderHamilton · 26/01/2018 18:51

At ds's previous school we just turned up & queued to see his teachers.

At his new school it's online booking 5 min slots. What I'm not sure of is what gap to leave in between. Do I leave a 5 min gap so for example have 5pm 5.10pm etc or should I play it safe & leave 10 mins between appointments.

The latter means I will be there from 4.30 - 7pm.

OP posts:
dementedpixie · 26/01/2018 19:16

In my experience a 5 minute gap will not be nearly enough especially if you have to go to different floors of the building.

CraftyGin · 26/01/2018 19:19

I’d just do them back to back.

cantkeepawayforever · 26/01/2018 19:26

It depends on whether the evening is all in one room - e.g the school hall - or spread out around the school.

If all in the school hall, i would say that 5 minute gaps - or even back to back if you know some appointments may well be short / generic - should be fine.

DC's school has this system, though the children make the appointments in their lessons. DS has always booked his appointments back to back and we run like demented rats around the maze of tables and chairs in the hall. DD allows 5 minute gaps between most, and a 10 minute 'catch your breath' gap in the middle.

I would also say prioritise who you really want to see, and place those with gaps either side. If you have a few subjects you aren't all that fussed about, you can always book those back to back, and if you don't make one of them because you're over-running elsewhere, it's not too bad.

xyzandabc · 26/01/2018 19:35

Ours are spread around 3 different blocks of classrooms. 5 mins appointments, the same as you, if you try and book back to back, the system brings up a warning, but does allow you to book.

Most people make an appointment every 10 minutes but invariably appointments do end up running late and teachers will see someone if they are there, rather than wait for someone who is not there iyswim.

Do you really need to see every teacher? Depending on the year group or your child's interest in the subject.

Original poster
AlexanderHamilton · 26/01/2018 19:48

I reckon I need to see every teacher - he's Year 9 & SEN.

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Original poster
AlexanderHamilton · 26/01/2018 19:50

Ive made his problem subject (English predicted a 2) the very last appointment as dh (who is a teacher) will struggle to get home from his school in another city for Neil then. I've put maths (predicted 8) earlier on.

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pointythings · 26/01/2018 20:06

Ours are 10 minute slots and I leave 10 minutes between meetings. It's always worked well except for English - for some reason that always descends into chaos. I blame the parents. SmileGrin

Astronotus · 26/01/2018 20:06

The booking system at my DC's school's parent evening was chaos every time. We never got to see all the teachers. As your DS is SEN email the school and ask that if you are unable to see all teachers on the evening you can go in and see them at another time. Explain your DH is a teacher, they may be sympathetic.

TeenTimesTwo · 26/01/2018 20:40

At our school the pupils book them in their planners and they recommend a 5 minute gap which generally I've found to be adequate.
If you get behind you either miss out a subject and try to go back at the end, or just see everyone a bit late. This works fine as other parents are running late too.

LoniceraJaponica · 26/01/2018 20:51

DD's school has an extremely efficient online booking system. All the teachers are at tables in the main hall and dining area, so no traipsing round the school. We get 5 minutes allocated per teacher, and I allow an extra 5 minutes between slots. As DD is now doing 3 A levels I only need to see 3 teachers, so parents evening is half an hour at most for me.

Original poster
AlexanderHamilton · 26/01/2018 20:51

I'm glad Ds doesn't have to book them as he never writes anything in his planner & he would conveniently forget.

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AtiaoftheJulii · 26/01/2018 20:57

Our online booking systems automatically give you a 5 minute gap (also 5 minute appts). This has always been fine, even with ds's school which have teachers scattered all over the place.

MajesticWhine · 26/01/2018 21:03

Just come back from a Parents evening. We had to queue for each teacher and no allocated slots. And everyone in the dining hall, so incredibly noisy and crowded. Its a bloody nightmare. Be grateful you can book your slot. And 5 minutes in between should be fine.

WeAreGerbil · 26/01/2018 21:06

Ours automatically give a 5 min gap between appointments though when you get there it's a free for all and you jump in when you can!

youarenotkiddingme · 26/01/2018 21:08

Ds school do it like speed dating Grin

You click which teachers you want to see, you get your slot, gap, slot etc. Then they have a computer system that counts down and the bell rings, everyone gets up, swaps with next person and has the gal to find the next teacher!

Everyone is in the hall so no traipsing around the school!

HeidioftheAlps · 26/01/2018 21:17

Ours has an automated online system where you say the time span you want and who you want to see. Works fine. I just checked and it leaves 4 minutes between appointments.

prettybird · 26/01/2018 22:56

Ds' school's booking system allocates 5 minutes slots and doesn't allow bookings less than 10 minutes apart.

It works well in principle but in practice there can be problems if teachers and/or parents don't stick to the 5 minute slots or let other parents jump in ahead of you Angry

BackforGood · 26/01/2018 23:46

My dds' school had the teachers spread out around the school. You do have a better chance if you live bigger gaps, but, tbh, you get to know which departments are rubbish, and always running late, and book them in first if you can.... it's all very strategical.
I'm also fortunate that I can take time out of work, so get there for the first appts at 3.30 (in their school) when quite a lot of other paretns can't make it, so it isn't so bad.
It does take hours though.
The difficulty is, when one appt is running behind, knowing if you should wait there, or go to the next one and hope to get slotted in later with the one you miss.

ds's school was much better - all sat in the hall and you just queued (or I sent dh to queue, say for English whilst I saw PE and Art, then I joined him for the English appt and we'd start the system over again with, say, maths.

mmzz · 27/01/2018 07:53

I do them back to back because at my dc's school they create an order for teachers to see parents but they don't actually mean you'll see the teacher at that time. It's a bit like a doctor's appointment in that it just says who'll be called next from the waiting room.

Original poster
AlexanderHamilton · 27/01/2018 07:59

I have no idea if they will all be together in the hall or spread around or what really

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k2p2k2tog · 27/01/2018 08:06

Doesn't the software do it for you? At my kids' school you log in, tick the teachers you want to see, tell the website your availability (5.30pm to 7pm) or something, and it generates them all automatically.

dementedpixie · 27/01/2018 08:29

Software? I wish Grin. Dd has a list of times on a bit of paper and has to arrange a time slot with the teacher. We couldn't get a slot with some last year

k2p2k2tog · 27/01/2018 08:38

It's only in the last couple of years our school has done it. It's a website they use, not their own software. Works pretty well, only issue is that you have to get in pretty quickly once the website is opened for making appointments or you get stuck with appointments with huge gaps between.

ladygracie · 27/01/2018 08:42

The people who do them back to back - do you realise that you are part of the reason that the teachers can’t keep to time? I leave 10 mins between appointments & this seems to work. Especially as they aren’t usually all in the same room.

Original poster
AlexanderHamilton · 27/01/2018 08:44

No it doesn't k2p. You log in & see a list of teachers. You click on the name & select a time from the available list. Repeat for each teacher. It's a website called Bromcom

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