21 replies to this topic

[mundia]

Hi there Beryl, thanks for your equiry.

many schools, including the one where I work, no longer have 3 parents evenings per year, we only have 2; one in the autumn, to say how your child is settling into that year and one at the end to feedback about the year, give results of SATs/QCA and end of year report. In the middle term , there is no longer an open parents evening, but as you say, an invitation to some parents or an opportunity for you to contact the school if you feel that you need to.

I think it is up to the school and many schools are now choosing this approach (certainly where I live).
The reason that we chose this route is that our parents evenings are very poorly attended and to give up 3-4 hours to wait for parents to turn up is very frustrating. We felt that this time (which comes out of teachers' 'directed time' ) is better given over to something else. The provision is made that if parents wish to discuss their child's progress at ANY time, they can do so, simply by making an appointment. This way, you can make an individual time for yourself and the teacher without the ..'you've only got 5 minutes' and theres 3 other people waiting to see the teacher as well. I find this works better- you can spend more thorough time with a parent without the hours of sitting around on 'designated days'.

perhaps the wording of the letter you received wasnt quite right, but I would make that appointment straight away with your son's teacher.

We make lots of contact with our parents through workshops, assemblies to which they are invited, community group activtiies etc , so there is plenty of opportunties for parents to come and say that they wish to discuss their child's progress. In my case, in n ursery, we see the parents every day and they come into nursery all the time so we freely discuss their progress but we have 'open afternoons' on a regular basis as well.

I hope that this helps with your situation.

[Sue R]

Hi Beryl, we haven't spoken yet, so - greetings!!
I was quite disturbed with your situation, particularly as it's the main parent's evening that's in question. I appreciate and agree with what mundia had to say, but , and this is as a Mum of children with their fair share of 'challenging' issues in those sometimes stressful growing up years, as well as an early years practitioner, I consider the practice of trying to dissuade parents from discussing their children's progress as unethical. Sorry if anyone disagrees. (That was a marathon sentence! ) I would also take issue with the use of the description 'problems' - how's that for labelling!
Get in there and get your appointment, if you don't support your children, who else is going to, they need you to know what's going on. Sorry, just realised that looks as if I think you aren't bothered -I DON'T, just very sympathetic. I sometimes get a bit carried away. You'll get used to me!
Good luck, Sue

[Beau]

Either myself or my husband or both of us always go to parents evenings. However, if our child doesn't have a problem and there's nothing we feel we need to discuss with the teacher, we sometimes feel that the whole thing has been a waste of time for both us and the teacher. However, we always go as I feel its important to show the teacher we are interested in our children and value the teachers opinion. However, if the teacher has no concerns and neither do you, is it really important to go in? In the past I've always made of point of volunteering to help out within the primary school and get to see the teachers regularly anyway. This is a much better way of building up a relationship than a short appointment 3 times a year.

On the subject of preschool's having a parent consultation. I know the nursery do it with mixed attendance, but these are mainly children about to start school. However, my playgroup have offered it many times and usually there are no takers at all, last year 1 parent made an appointment.

[kate]

We have 3 parents' evenings each year to look at IEPs and the end of year report. However, because of the Annual Reviews our children and parents are invited to, the parents can choose whether or not to come . No point if the AR's just been or is imminent.

However, I have one child who's parents have not come to anything at all this year, not even the Annual Review. They only saw us once last year too! They are always sending in ascerbic comments in the home-school book, so I would think that it would be a good opportunity????

[hali]

hi

As a pre school we only have one parent eve per year . (But Parents are able to see us at any time).

[Linda McDowell]

I agree with you about pre-schools offering parents evenings Carol. We tried this about 4 years ago-with 1 parent coming in. I feel most of our parents know that they can talk to us whenever they want, even on a daily basis if necessary, and they don't need to make an appointment.
Linda

[Sue R]

Certainly agree that the best dialogue in a setting is the ongoing one! It's when all dialogue breaks down that things go wrong. But let's not go down that road, not right now anyway!

Sue

[hotgoss]

What do you all think of parents evening in a pre-school, I think its wrong to have formal parent evenings for 3 year olds they are just babies !! as long as they're mixing with the other children and settled in well that should be all that counts. With the four years olds I think its a good idea to have one maybe just before they start school but I've had too many parents coming in worrying because their child can't write their name or doesn't know all their numbers. They are still young they have years of school ahead of them I think they should just play at playgroup not have this sort of pressure on them.

[diane]

For the last few years now, the local primary school (my youngest still attends) has had regular 3-a-year parents' evenings.

The first, at the start of the autumn term, is with groups of parents ('meet the teacher' and 'the year ahead'). The second, individually with parents, is 'targets and concerns' (the latter either being the teacher's concerns or the parent's) and takes place either just before or just after the autumn half-term break. The third, about now, is another individual meeting, but the child comes too. This covers progress on the targets, any additional targets and any worries (from any of the 3 parties present).

Of course, at the end of the summer term, comes the written report.

I feel this meeting system works well. Plus, the teachers are always available fairly promptly on request at other times, either in person or at the end of the phone.

Parent-teacher liaison is another matter when the child moves onto secondary education at 11+. Oh, and the staff at my eldest's 6th form college do not even know of my existence, I'm sure!.

Diane.

[diane]

...... and I think Hotgoss is right when we are talking about pre-school children.

Diane.

[Beau]

I think it depends on the parents though. Some like to have something a bit more formal and it might be the only time a dad comes along to the preschool too. One of the main ongoing criticisms at our playgroup is that we're all too friendly and this makes it awkward for parents to approach us with complaints, however small they may be. Can't win, can you! :D I think it's all about striking a balance between being professional and friendly and a more formal consultation might achieve this.

[Nicola Call]

This is interesting. I can sympathise with teachers who can spend a lot of time waiting for parents to turn up, rearranging appts and hanging around school in the late evening with no takers. However, I cannot think of one child who I ever taught who didnt benefit from me meeting with parents to discuss progress and set new targets. Education isn't just abuot behaving well and achieving at the required level! Every individual child has more to learn, and parents and teachers should be partners.

Ideally, as in many preschool settings, this is done regularly and informally through close contact and communication. But in school, a more formal approach is usually needed.

Personally, I'd make an appt even if I didnt have a 'concern.' Well, actually, I'd point out that I always have a concern, I am concerned to make sure that I know what my child is achieving and how I can work with the school to move him or her further forward.

Even Einstein had more to learn.

[lesleylewis49]

I am in agreement with Nicola on this one, also a visit by parents serves to show them what learning through play is all about. chidlren benefit when their parents know the kind of things they have been doing in pre-school, sometimes as a practitioner you need this level of contact - parents dont have training in learning through play and the foundation stage.

also what happened to a partnership with parents,
it sooooooooo valuable

how do the parents who are called in feel if they are single out and treated differently, just like the children will - for me its got to be the same across the board - thats inclusion
inviting certain children can be seen as labelling, i know i would be gutted if i was one of 'those' parents