Teacher feedback?

[ijustneedtokeepbreathing]

Sorry, I wasn't sure where else to post this. I'm not a teacher!

I'm a class rep for a primary school class. We are near the end of term and so many parents have had such positive experiences that they have shared with me and have been so pleased with the teacher and the TA. Really excellent feedback, plus some genuinely useful suggestions. I have been delighted to hear it. I myself have also had a great experience and both have gone beyond the call of duty. It is nice that so many parents have seen that!

I was going to summarise the comments and send to the teachers as I feel that often they just hear the negatives and people rarely share their positive comments.

Do I also send to the head? Or is that not on?

Thanks v much.

I would definitely copy the head into an email - our parents can't directly email teachers anyway, so all communication goes via the office admin with a 'For the attention of: ' in the email but head teachers always appreciate positive feedback about their staff as much as the teachers and TAs like to hear it about themselves!

Positive comments from parents are lovely to get, so definitely pass them on. But please do not include the useful suggestions. It will feel like an appraisal of their performance. If the teacher is as tired as I am, useful suggestions from parents, who are not teachers, would not be taken well at this time of year.

Yes agree with PP - please do send all the lovely positives but keep the useful suggestions to yourselves :)

Yes definitely share the positive feedback but consider whether the ‘useful’ suggestions really are.

Though I’d love to know what the useful suggestions are :)

For those asking about the suggestions, they are school wise issues, specifically the school's homework policy. As the school have said they want to conduct a review of their homework policy - what is set for each year and how - surely those comments are relevant to the school? They aren't a criticism of the teachers at all as they just set homework in accordance with the school's policy.

Those were the only "useful suggestions" 🤷🏻‍♀️

Occasionally parents do have useful suggestions. We aren't all awful!

Feel free to comment on the homework policy to the headteacher. But be prepared to be ignored. What you want won't necessarily be the same as other people. If the school is carrying out a proper review, they will ask everyone. Not just those who offer their useful suggestions because they want something changed to benefit to their own personal circumstances.
Homework is always contentious and schools can never win, whatever they offer.
What schools want is for parents to take a step back and let them get on with their job.
A thank you however is rare and always well received.

@Lonelyplanet I think the school will ask everyone. These aren't my comments or views, but rather feedback from other parents to me as a class rep; I am not asking the school to change anything for me personally and the comments aren't from people who simply want things to suit their own circumstances.

I don't actually care about the format or otherwise the homework is in, I've had multiple children go through the school and we've always just got the homework done. But I think it's a good thing that the school reviews these things occasionally and that the school would consider it worth asking.

I don't think the default position should be to just ignore parents.

I think it's a real shame that parents have taken the time to write feedback that just overflows with respect and thanks for their children's teachers and yet the default vibe on here seems to be please just back off. I have done nothing other than support the school and my kids for years. I put a post on here about sharing thanks and class feedback on one area of school policy and the suggestion is I should be ignored and should just go away.

It wasn’t clear from your original post what the helpful feedback was. It’s lovely that you’ve collected so many nice comments and everyone has said you should share those. I’m sure the teacher & leadership team will really appreciate them.

Had you originally said the feedback was on a specific area of school policy that the school has asked for feedback on, you would have got different responses. But it did sound a bit like from your first post that you had lots of very helpful advice about how professionals should do their jobs. And a few people quite rightly suggested that, if that were the case, this point of the school year possibly isn’t the time to do that.

Now you just sound like you’re looking for a fight.