It can be difficult to know exactly how to approach a parents’ evening, particularly if it’s your first time. You will be keen to find out exactly how your child is settling into the new school year, along with their behaviour, strengths, weaknesses and how you can help them improve.
However, your time is limited, and so you will want to prepare a list of priorities when it comes to grilling your child’s teacher. Raj Mann, headteacher at Arena Academy in Great Barr, Birmingham, has offered plenty of practical suggestions on how to prepare and approach the evening as a parent.
Raj’s advice can be heard on Birmingham Live’s award-winning Brummie Mummies podcast, which features plenty of other episodes around this area.
How should I prepare for parent’s evening?
"Try to prepare as much as possible beforehand,” Raj said. “Speak with your child about their subjects, their strengths and what areas they need to develop.
“Then you can go into parents' evening meetings with a pre-prepared plan where you can ask specific questions on, say, trigonometry. Also make sure you’ve got a notepad with you so you can note down anything being said.
“A lot of schools, like Arena, have an app where we share information with parents on behaviour points, rewards, attendance and punctuality. That’s live data that’s available to all parents.
“It’s a good idea to have that handy so, for example, if you’ve noticed that a lot of behaviour points are maybe coming from one subject you could then maybe pose those types of questions to that subject teacher. Teachers will always talk about curriculum in terms of what’s being delivered and behaviour and attitudes in the classroom, at lunchtimes and on the way to and from school.
“And the third part will be around the actual academic side, talking about the topics your child has done well and the areas where we still need to work on plus the targets being set for your child."
Three questions every parent should ask on parents’ evening
"I’m a parent myself so I’ve attended many of these parents' evenings on the other side and I try to stick to my own advice so we’d plan and prepare ourselves as much as possible, speak to our child beforehand and then actually go in with three or four questions which are going to be quite key," Raj continued.
"I would say the first one should be around 'what do you think my child’s strengths are?' and the second one would be 'what does my child need to do to improve?' And the third question I think would really be something about 'how can I as a parent help my child at home?'
"Also try to have a look at the actual environment, inside the classroom where your child is taught. And have a read through some of their books too. What's the quality of the work like? What’s their presentation like?
"It’s also useful to compare their books for different subjects. Sometimes you can see that, for example in subjects that they really enjoy, the presentation of the work is immaculate but in others, that perhaps they don't enjoy so much, a bit of work needs to be done.
“Of course, the teachers will be addressing this but it’s useful for parents to see it for themselves and then they can also address it at home. And the flip side of that is you can praise your child if they’re doing really well in certain subjects. So my advice would be definitely try to see as many books as you can."
Should I take my child with me to parents’ evening?
"I know that many schools have different policies around this but I would strongly advise that your child attends because you want your child to take ownership for their learning,” Raj suggested. "So I think it’s very good that they actually hear what's said because you want them to grow.
"The partnership between school, home and the child needs to be a strong partnership. Your child needs to hear exactly what’s being said by the subject teacher so then they can improve on the areas that the teacher has highlighted."
Do I need to take my child’s school report?
Raj answered: "Most definitely. A lot of schools will send those reports out beforehand so take that report in with you. A lot of our parents annotate those reports and then come into school with questions based upon the report.
"If there is any discrepancy in terms of a difference between what’s being said verbally and what’s on the actual report then you can speak to the subject teacher about this."
What to do if my child is working hard but not achieving good results
He said: "If a child is underachieving in a certain area, there’ll always be a plan. Ask about this and any after-school sessions or whether the teacher will re-teach any topics in class.
"Sometimes it could be the child’s lacking in confidence in a certain area, it could be that the child will respond very well in a one-to-one setting. It could be that they respond better in a group environment. But it’s about what works for that child and that's not just about setting more homework."
Should a parent with a child with special education needs make an appointment to see the SEND team?
Raj noted: "Every school has a SENCO (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator) and, at every parents' evening, you will always get the SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) team who will have a desk and would offer appointments as well.
"It's always a good idea, if your child does have a special educational need, to have a look at what the SEND team are doing, what they’re offering and what sort of support is in place for your child."
What should I do if I come away feeling confused after parents’ evening?
"Definitely make sure you have your notepad with you and write down any further questions or answers that you are looking for. There will always be different avenues that you can pursue in terms of getting the information," Raj added.
"You could maybe book a one-to-one appointment with the head of year or a senior leader. All good schools will have all the contact details available on their website. So I’d pick up the phone or just drop them an email."
