Parents help !

[Lizziewarmington]

Teachers for next year have just been announced and the class I've got have reputation of having the worst parents ever. They are said to complain about anything and everything and know far more than any of us. I know I tend to overdo the friendly bit so am wondering how to avoid being their puppet in my own class. So many people both internally and externally warned me not to touch them. Advice please, gratefully received.

Would it be worth sending out a welcome letter at the start of term? I have had fussy parents like that and found it was easier to 'head them off at the pass' so to speak and write a letter with lots of FAQs for them.

Including things like: my child is finding their reading books too easy and Only making a few mistakes. I think they need to go up a book band
We answer this with the info from the county's Literacy leaders who advise that we send a reading book home that is one level easier than the guided reading books we do in school and that children should only have 1/10 words that they struggle with on a page. We tell them reading at home is a consolidation of what's learnt in school and we want the children to all be confident, successful readers with good comprehension skills etc.

This usually keeps most of them happy! If they do come in and ask about levels etc, I refer them back to their FAQ sheet etc and then tell them I'll check their child's reading level that day and make any necessary adjustments etc.