Parents' Evenings can be hard work, but they are worthwhile. With a little bit of preparation, you can use parents evening to improve your child’s school performance and their wellbeing.
Re-arrange book club, cancel swimming, get ‘something quick’ in for dinner: the spectre of parents evening looms in the school diary. For many, Parents' Evening poses a real risk to the stability of a finely tuned weekday evening. However, if done right, the benefit to your child can be huge. So how do you make the most of it? What do you need to do to put your child in the best position for the rest of the term? Like all pursuits of wellbeing and performance, the answer is: prepare well, focus on the outcome and keep-up your progress. Attending your child’s parents evening , might feel like an endurance sport; this guide seeks to help you to prepare for and succeed on the big day.
PREPARATION
Do some pre-game prep. Ideally, you want to leave a parents evening with a better idea about your child’s academic performance, if their enjoying school, and what can be done by you and the school to improve those two things. To avoid non-specific chatter about school, you should have an idea about what your child is doing in each class and how they feel about it. Take the time to look at their jotters, ask your child what they are working on, and if there is any help they need. This will lead you to asking incisive questions about your child’s progress and may draw your attention to previously unidentified obstacles in that class.
Don’t rely on extra time. Often, parent teacher conferences afford about ten minutes with each teacher; you do not want to waste that time. If there are any specific issues you have – don’t wait until parents evening. Contact the relevant staff and arrange an appointment if such an event arises. This will help you maximise your time with any teachers on the night.
FOCUS
Come with a strategy. Worried you might run out of things to say? Or leave thinking was the teacher familiar with my child? Have questions prepared. After you have talked to your child, get your thoughts and questions down in advance. Laurence Olivier did not just riff King Lear. And while you should avoid a Shakespearean script, a short, targeted list of questions will ensure you get the best out of your meeting.
Some useful questions might be:
Is my child’s progress in line with your expectations?
Is there an aspect of your class that my child should focus on?
What does my child do well in your class?
How can I help as a parent?
What is my child’s relationship with other students and teachers?
When I see you next term, where would you like my child to be?
If we were to set one target for this term, what would it be?
Eyes on the prize. Keep in mind why you have pulled yourself away from the comfort of your home to attend school that evening. Stay laser focussed on how your child is doing, and what can be done to improve their performance and wellbeing. Consider yourself an advocate for your child’s education but keep in mind that you are not counsel for the accused. Don’t get defensive and remember all criticisms can be made into positives. Work with the teacher to turn each criticism in to a point of action, and to set clear, achievable goals for the next meeting.
FOLLOW-UP
Identify goals and a plan to meet them. To really make the most out of your parents evening, keep a note what your child needs to work on. A good starting point would be identifying a target for each class, with the teacher and your child. You can then set the wheels in motion to achieve those goals. Whether that be: ‘making sure all homework is handed in on time’ or ‘no more detentions for chatting’: work with the teachers and your child to set goals and meet them. In doing so, you will have set a clear framework by which you can assess your child’s performance but also the teachers and yours. Also, in the very least, it will give you a good basis to begin your next parents evening.
Conclusion
Don’t wait for parents evening to discuss meaty topics.
Do your homework – ask your child about the class and see if there is anything they want you to raise.
Prepare your questions in advance.
Look for constructive criticism.
Keep a record of what your child’s goals are and bring them up at the next meeting.
With good planning, you can make a marked improvement in the quality of information exchanged during the evening, which will positively impact your child's education going forward.
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