Parents Evening

Below is a list of questions that you might select from to help guide your conversation at Parents Evening. I doubt you will have time to ask them all and you are free to ask questions not on the list. Some of the ideas for questions came from the link below. The rest are based on my experience. https://uk.care.com/articles/back-to-school/questions-to-ask-at-parents-evening/

Note: Check whether the school expects your child to attend parents evening. You may have reasons for them to not have them attend or to not be present for the whole meeting. You may be able to organise a phone call or meeting without the child being present.

Remember to pass on key information about your child. E.g. they are unwell; there is a separation/divorce/death in the family; the family is moving. If your child is unhappy about coming to school or has low self-esteem, pass on this information. Don’t wait for parents evening to pass on this sort of information but if you need to pass on the info, you might begin the conversation with this info.

1) How is X doing with his spelling?

2) How is X doing with his writing?

3) How is X doing with his grammar?

4) How is my child doing socially?

5) What is X’s behaviour like in class?

6) Does my child seem happy in school?

7) How is my child doing in in maths? You could ask if there are any particular areas in which your child struggles.

8) What can I do to help? You might ask if there are any resources, websites or activities that might help your child to improve in this area. Some people hire tutors.

9) Does my child have children to play with?

10) What three things do you think X could do to get the biggest improvement in their results?

11) Does X receive any additional support – e.g. from a TA? If so, can you tell me about it?

12) Is my child trying their best?

13) What is X good at?

14) If you feel your child is not being challenged because work is too easy, ask what can be done to challenge them.

15) If your child has an Individual Education Plan, ask about how they are getting on with it.

It can be very help to pass on to the teacher what motivates their child. Has your child got any area in which they shine? These might be extra-curricular activities. The teacher might love to know about them. They may be relevant to class or even just allowing the child to show off their ability can help boost self-esteem and confidence. Use the opportunity to look at your child’s books. You might ask what topics are coming up so that you can look at them with your child before the class studies the topic. You might get an idea for a trip that you could take your child on that might inspire them. Keep an open mind and look forward to Parents Evening. Joel www.learnwithjoel.com