parents evenings

Junior School
Senior School

Parents' Evenings

What will the teacher talk about?

We aim to work together with parents to provide the best possible education for every pupil. In order to support this, teachers need to know as much as possible about your child, including his or her interests out of school. Parents' evenings provide an ideal opportunity to share this extra information. Teachers will talk about general progress, performance in specific subjects and behaviour.

They may also want to discuss your child's attitude to school, his or her participation in clubs or out of school activities and whether or not your son or daughter has taken on extra responsibilities such as becoming a member of the School Council.

Plan your time

Teachers have to see the parents of all the children in their classes, so meetings can rarely last for more than five minutes. If you have particular concerns to discuss that may take longer, please make an appointment for another occasion. It's unfair on other parents if sessions run over time. Five minutes go very quickly so it's important to prepare carefully for the meeting and write down all the things you want to discuss. A good starting point is your child's report. You will receive at least two written reports each year that will tell you about the general progress your child is making

What can I ask about during the meeting?

Read the report through carefully and talk about it with your child. Discuss the comments and see if he or she agrees. If the report raises some issues, write them down so you don't forget. The meeting is intended to be a discussion so you may also wish to ask some of the questions listed below:

• is my child happy at school?

• does my child get on well with other children and adults?

• what are my child's strengths and weaknesses?

• does my child work hard enough?

• is my child progressing at a reasonable rate?

• is there anything more I can do to help my child at home?

You may wish to tell the teacher about:

• any changes at home

• things your child does/doesn't like

• things your child enjoys/finds difficult

• special interests

• any worries.