Most parents love the chance to discuss their child with their teacher and parent’s evening is one of the best opportunities to get a true understanding of what school life is like for them. After all, your child’s teacher spends a lot of time with your little one and therefore will be able to give you a greater insight into how they are doing and their likes and dislikes.
We do what we can to find out what goes on during the school day, but not all of us have children that will openly discuss it. We have all had those conversations that start with an insightful question from the parent and a very short and direct response from the child.
The parent’s evening can often take place during the day or at night, and these days either virtually or physically. It is your chance to not only listen to the feedback but to also gain a better understanding by asking questions. You might also see this as a chance to understand what stage your child is at, which can help you to help your child at home with their studies. So here are some of the questions to ask at Parent’s Evening.
Their education
The main focus of the parent’s evening is to discuss their education but it isn’t all about results or overachieving, you want to make sure that they are doing what they can and are settled in their environment.
Is my child meeting your expectations?
One of the first questions that you might ask yourself is whether your child is meeting expectations. Every school will have a way of understanding where your child is at in terms of expected levels. This could be at “age appropriate” levels or they may grade. Understanding where your child is at in terms of expectations of your child’s teacher rather than expectations set out by curriculums and the government is important. After all, every child progresses at a different rate.
Are there any areas where my child is struggling?
Your child may be at the age-appropriate levels but they still could be struggling in different areas, so make time to ask where those areas could be. It might be that they need to work on different subjects or get some extra support when it comes to specific learning.
Are they responsive to learning?
You might also want to ask if they are responsive to learning. Do they understand and engage with the teacher and what they are learning? Could you be doing anything to offer extra support? What is the school doing to give any extra support your child might need?
Do they contribute to lessons?
You might also want to find out if they are contributing in class. Answering questions and actively participating in their lessons. This is important at this stage as you want them to be enthusiastic about learning and enjoy what they are doing.
Are they making progress?
Lastly, are they making good progress? Again it doesn’t matter what stage they may be with expectations but is there progress? This can help you to understand if there are areas where they may need extra support from home, or that the school may need to step in to offer extra help.
Social and their environment
Another thing you might want to think about is the social aspects of their time in school. After all, you want to ensure that they enjoy school and have friends. So here are a couple of questions to prompt that conversation.
- Does my child interact well with others?
- How would you describe their behaviour in and out of class?
- Do they seem happy in school?
What you can do?
Finally, you may be wondering what it is you could be doing to help your child in these final years of primary school. So here is how to find out what you can do.
Can I be doing anything at home to help?
It is important to support your child at home, so asking the teacher what you can be doing or what would be beneficial will give you some much-needed guidance on this.
What do you want from me as a parent?
Finally, getting the expectations of you from your child’s teacher is also vital. It helps to strengthen the relationship between parent and teacher and will only benefit your child in the future.
Hopefully, this has put your mind at ease as to some of the questions you could be asking at your child’s parent’s evening.
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