During the allotted time (usually 10 minutes tops), you get to glean as much information about your child’s progress in each subject as is humanly possible. Umms, errs and ‘I didn’t even know he was taking geography GCSE’ are a waste of valuable seconds, so to make sure parents’ evenings are as useful as they’re meant to be, take some time to work out your strategy.
Have a good look through your child’s books and note whether tasks are being completed and marked, comments are being acted on and progress made. What are the most recent marks or grades and how do they compare with those in the past? Also remind yourself of the contents of your son or daughter’s most recent school report. Chat to your child – without pressure – to find out how they feel lessons are going in each subject and ask if there are any worries they would like you to discuss.
In secondary (and some primary) schools it’s now common practice to invite the student along to parents’ evenings. But this isn’t the case in all schools, so it’s important to check beforehand. If your child is on the guest list, then it’s up to your family whether you take them along, but there can be great value in involving a secondary school student in discussions about their education – promoting a sense of ownership and emphasising the young person’s role in working with teachers and parents towards success.
Parents’ evenings are strictly an update on progress, not an opportunity for either parents or teachers to drop a bombshell. If you become aware of an issue, don’t wait for parents’ evening to roll around - contact the school as soon as possible and make an appointment with the relevant staff to discuss it specifically. By the same token, the school should let you know of any problems and work with you to deal with them as they arise.
Jot down a list of questions and/or observations (not too many, though) on each subject in advance so you’re your appointments are focused and make the most of the limited time.
Some useful questions might be:
Make a note on the night of the teachers’ answers - after a couple of hours whisking from one subject to another, it can be easy to forget or muddle the comments.
Most teachers have a wealth of knowledge and experience, so ask for their guidance and suggestions on how you can help your child to do their best in the subject. If a teacher says something you don’t understand, ask for clarification. Parents are not expected to know all about a subject or a method of teaching.
Good teaching means identifying areas for improvement, so don’t be offended if you hear criticism of your child. This should always be constructive and designed to help them to achieve their potential in the subject. If your child is with you, try not to sound disappointed or negative – or tell your child off! Take the advice of the teacher as a positive step towards better marks in the future. Remember that it’s rarely helpful to compare your child’s performance to other members of the class, set or year group - what’s important is that they are achieving in line with their own capabilities, not those of others.
After the parents’ evening, keep in mind any action or targets you have agreed with teachers and check to see that the expected progress is being made in the timeframe. If not, then add the question to your list for the next parents’ evening – unless you feel your child is seriously slipping behind, in which case don’t wait, but ask to speak to the teacher again as soon as you can.
Also remember to mention to a teacher that your child particularly enjoys the subject (only if it’s the truth of course) – it will probably make that teacher’s evening!
Do you want help from The Good Schools Guide Education Consultants?
Our expert education consultants can provide your family with one-to-one help on all of the issues raised in this article and many more. We regularly help parents understand the particulars of UK schools and assist them in mapping out potential educational pathways for their children.
If you would like to find out more about our services, visit the Education Consultants homepage or to speak directly with one of the team email consultants@goodschoolsguide.co.uk or call 0203 286 6824
Need help? Perhaps you suspect your child has some learning difficulty and you would like advice on what you should do. Or perhaps it is becoming clear that your child's current school is not working for him or her, and you need help to find a mainstream school which has better SEN provision, or to find a special school which will best cater for your child's area of need. Our SEN consultancy team advises on both special schools, and the mainstream schools with good SEN support, from reception through to the specialist colleges for 19+. Special Educational Needs Index
Find top international, British, IB and American schools in over 40 countries. The Good Schools Guide International publishes impartial and forthright reviews of international schools across the world.
We examined the value-added from KS2 to GCSE for 2022 to see which state selective grammar schools added the most value to their offspring. A note of caution - the more highly selective a grammar school, the less scope there will be to add value.
Grammar schools are state-funded, academically selective senior schools. The education a child receives at grammar school is paid for by the state unlike at private schools which provide education for a fee. There are currently around 163 located in 36 English local authorities, with around 167,000 pupils between them. Northern Ireland has a further 67 grammar schools, but there are none in Wales or Scotland. A word of caution: there are private schools that have the word 'grammar' in their name but this is purely for historical reasons.
At specialist music, dance or performing arts schools, the arts aren't optional extras. They’re intrinsic to the school curriculum. Students are expected to fit in high level training and hours of practice alongside a full academic provision. It's a lot to ask any child to take on, but for those with exceptional performing ability this kind of education can be transformative.