Successful Parents’ Evenings
Do
…be Professional
• Extra attention to appearance, especially after a full day’s teaching!
• Polite, professional manner at all times – not over familiar
• Open body language, eye contact with parent, smile
…be prepared
• Ensure you know the data well – pick up specific issues that parents will be concerned about especially if already highlighted on ePortal
• Print out photo sheets for classes to ensure you are always talking about the correct pupil
…support your comments with evidence
• Use examples of pupil work to support your comments if possible
• Give specific examples of something the pupil has done well/needs to improve
…be honest
• Give clear feedback on how the pupil is progressing
• Give clear ideas on what they need to do to progress further (even if they are doing really well)
• Ensure any negative comments have a positive target to help pupil progress
…stick to the time allocation
• Keep discussion focussed on progress of pupil
• Use clear ‘cues’ to end of meeting e.g. “Are there any other questions or concerns you have?” / summarise
…listen to parents and respect their role
• Seek their views on best approaches to learning for their child
• Involve them in learning – let them know the kinds of things they can do to support their child’s progress at home, useful resources, VLE etc.
• Make it clear that communication with home can extend beyond parents’ evenings if necessary
Don’t
…surprise the parent if there are serious concerns. This should have been raised before parents’ evening
…use jargon, acronyms or specialist subject language – explain any educational terms you need to use
…talk about other pupils / whole class
…focus too much on behaviour – put this into the context of the pupil’s progress
…bluff – if you can’t answer a question promise to investigate and get back to the parent. Don’t make promises you can’t keep.
…be confrontational, argumentative or defensive – use clear objective evidence, facts are friendly
…tolerate confrontational or abusive parents – end interview at once if you feel intimidated in any way or are abused. Refer to member of leadership team at front entrance immediately.
