Questions to ask at Parents Evening
It’s that time of year again. Parents' evening - the prospect of which can be daunting for all parties involved.
Yes, that’s students, parents and teachers included, believe it or not!
Of course, there is great value to be gained from these meetings but naturally, consultation evenings can be a source of anxiety for school kids.
Cast your mind back to your own school years. Report cards being posted home, detailed numerical grading of your day-to-day performance all reaching a crescendo at the anxiety-inducing parents' evening.
For parents, it's natural to only want to hear of your darling child's obvious perfection and academic excellence - but hey, let's be realistic - everyone’s got areas in which they could improve. It’s instinctive to be defensive/ protective about your child when taking criticism but do remember that teachers have your child's education and best interests at heart!
For teachers, in all likelihood, they have been on school grounds since 8 am and have worked a full day teaching unruly classes of approximately 30 children at a time with a single-hour break. They then face reporting to children's protective parents with inevitably varying degrees of positive feedback, as well as having to deliver brutal honesty regarding any areas of concern.
This can present plenty of challenges of its own - especially for NQTs - after all, it is their professional duty to highlight such issues.
Before Parents Evening
Undoubtedly in this setting, a little preparation goes a long way. Try to know what you want to get out of the event, and go with something achievable in mind.
1. Speak with your child
Perhaps consider touching base with your child before you go along so you have an understanding of how they feel they’re doing. This ensures everyone’s on the same page and opens lines of communication so that if your child has any queries, you can raise them at the consultation.
2. Parents evening questions
This is not about bombarding teachers but rather building the teacher-parent partnership so that your child can fulfil their potential whilst feeling fully supported at school and home.Not sure what to ask at parents' evening? Below find a list of suggested parents' evening questions:
- Is there any extra reading that can be done?
- What is their participation level in class?
- How does their progress compare to others at their key stage?
- Are there any extra efforts that can be made at home? For example, do they need to cut down on extracurriculars to make more time for study?
- What are my child's strengths?
- What areas need improving? Are there any areas of specific concern?
- What is the quality of their homework like?
- Are they prepared for any upcoming examinations?
- What is the school doing to support your child where necessary?
- Does your child have all the resources necessary?
- How can parents help their children to revise?
This list is certainly not exhaustive but simply acts to give you an idea of the kind of discussions you could be having with your child's teachers.
3. Attendance
Students score 3 points higher in verbal reasoning tests if their parents attends parents’ evenings. So where possible, both parents/guardians should aim to attend parents' evening as this demonstrates to both your child and the teacher that you are as involved as possible in their education. Next up comes the trickier conversation about whether or not your child will also be in attendance. This can be slightly controversial and there are definitely pros and cons to both options. On the one hand, bringing your child along could be argued to help them take more responsibility for their education. Alternatively, some say it can impede your ability to have an honest conversation with your child’s teacher. Try being open-minded and discuss the viable options with your child beforehand. Ultimately only you know best so come to a joint decision that suits everyone involved.
During Parents Evening
When the evening finally comes about there's not so much to do.
1. Actively listen
Be sure to actively listen, asking the right questions and if they’re present involve your child in any conversation to keep them engaged gathering their perspective on matters. Aim to understand the teacher's point of view and where applicable, hash out the next steps in achieving joint goals.
2. Keep the focus on your child
Keep in mind that these appointments are brief. Avoid wasting time discussing school policies and such. Rather, keep the meeting centred around your child their progress and any blockers. It’s a good idea to keep teachers in the loop about any major changes in your child's home life if anything might be affecting their performance eg a new baby in the family, divorce, moving house etc.
After Parents Evening
1. Be proactive
At this point, the hard work is done but there are still steps you can take to follow up from the consultation. If your child’s teacher has raised any areas of concern you might wish to consider help outside of the classroom. Whether that's in the form of attending an after-school club or one-to-one tuition there can be great benefits to offering your son/ daughter extra help. If any concerns rear their head at parents' evening, rest assured that LessonWise’s got your back! Our tutors are top-class and are poised with the ability and gusto to see your child's grades improve in no time at all! Whether they’re at A-Level, GCSE or preparing for 11+ Entrance exams, the sooner any tricky areas are tackled, the better, so browse our fantastic educators now.
2. Discuss feedback with your child
Following the parent's evening, it's very important to discuss your thoughts with your child. Be sure to focus on the positives and ensure they know how proud of them you are. Regarding any criticism or areas for improvement ensure this is sensitively handled and framed in a constructive light. Moreover, if your child has asked you to raise something at parents' evening then make sure you let them know the teacher's response.
3. Stay in touch after the parent-teacher meeting
It might also be worthwhile to keep in touch with certain subject teachers as a point of contact, especially if extra help is needed in their subject. Where you have agreed to meet certain goals, ensure everyone knows how to measure success and that any necessary follow-up is carried out. Overall, parents' evening doesn’t need to be a stressful ordeal for anyone. A combination of asking the right parents evening questions, along with nurturing channels of communication between teachers and parents will have your child fulfilling their potential in no time at all.
Happy parenting,
LessonWise
