Preparing for the meeting
You may receive your child's school report just before a parents' evening. It’s a good idea to read the report, talk to your child about it and make a list of questions you would like to ask your child's teacher. If there's anything in the report that you don't understand, ask the teacher about it at the parents' evening.
Some schools also provide a brief questionnaire for the parent to complete and bring with them. This helps parents to think about the type of questions they might want to ask the teacher.
'With the questionnaire before the meeting I felt I was better prepared. When you have things in writing it means you won't forget them at the time.'
Parent
Questions to ask your child
Your child's views on how they are getting on are important. You may like to ask your child some of the following questions.
- Is there anything you have particularly liked at school this year?
- Was there anything you didn't like? What kinds of things?
- Is there anything you would like me to ask the teacher(s)?
- Is there anything you would like me to tell the teacher(s)?
If you have received your child's progress report you can chat to your child about it and about how well they think they have done.
Questions to ask the teacher
Here are some examples of questions many parents ask teachers.
- Is my child making progress at the right rate? What are the things my child does well? What do they need more help with? What can I do to help?
- How much homework should my child be doing? How can I help?
- Does my child have any special talents or abilities? How can I help with that?
- Is my child happy at school? How do you know they are happy? What do they most enjoy doing?
- Do they get on well with other children? Do they get on well with adults? What can I do to encourage them to get on with other people?
If your child has any particular problems with their work then the school should let you know by getting in touch at an early stage. You should not receive any surprise news at the parents' evening. However, you might want to ask if there are any problems you do not already know about.
