{"id":9118,"date":"2023-10-05T10:08:20","date_gmt":"2023-10-05T10:08:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/?p=9118"},"modified":"2023-10-05T10:08:21","modified_gmt":"2023-10-05T10:08:21","slug":"a-guide-to-school-parents-evenings-the-dos-and-donts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/parents\/a-guide-to-school-parents-evenings-the-dos-and-donts\/","title":{"rendered":"How to get the most out of school parents\u2019 evenings"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">School parents\u2019 evenings are a great chance for you to hear how your teen is doing \u2013&nbsp;directly from their teachers.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You\u2019ll normally get 10-15 minutes to sit down with each teacher. It\u2019s your opportunity to listen to what they have to say and also tell them anything that will help them better understand your child.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While your teen spends hours every week with each teacher, you only get this brief slot, and it can be hard to narrow down everything you want to cover.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are some key dos and don\u2019ts to help you make the most of the parents&#8217; evening.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image size-full wp-image-9120\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"628\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/School-6-14.jpg\" alt=\"mytutor-teacher-with-pupils\" class=\"wp-image-9120 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/School-6-14.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/School-6-14-768x482.jpg 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1000px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1000\/628;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"628\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/School-6-14.jpg\" alt=\"mytutor-teacher-with-pupils\" class=\"wp-image-9120\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/School-6-14.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/School-6-14-768x482.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Parents evenings are a great opportunity to hear how your teen&#8217;s doing at school<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Do&#8230;<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Talk to your child beforehand<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ask them how they\u2019re doing in each subject. This will give you some points to raise with their teacher, plus it\u2019s useful to see if your child\u2019s sense of how they\u2019re doing matches their teacher\u2019s.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Listen first<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be present and pay attention to what the teachers have to say. You might have lots to ask or tell them, but start your meeting by hearing what the teacher has prepared first.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Ask questions<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Get some productive feedback by asking things like: \u201cWhat can my child do to improve\u201d, \u201cWhere do they struggle most?\u201d, and \u201cWhat grade do you think they should aim for?\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Take on board their feedback&nbsp;<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">See their feedback as building blocks for the rest of the school year. Whatever the teacher says, it should help you, them and your child form a plan \u2013&nbsp;and maybe some clear goals \u2013 to work toward for the rest of the school year.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Take notes<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you like! If you\u2019re seeing six or more teachers in one evening, it\u2019s easy to forget everything they\u2019ve said. You don\u2019t need to write everything down, but you might want to keep a record of key points. It\u2019s also helpful to show your child afterwards, too.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Share anything important<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Of course, don\u2019t say anything you\u2019re not comfortable sharing, but if there\u2019s anything at home that\u2019s been making things hard for your teen, the teacher might be able to support them better in class.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Thank them!&nbsp;<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Teachers work hard and if they feel like you\u2019re on their side, they\u2019ll be in a much better frame of mind to do their best for your child.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Debrief with your teen afterwards<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is a valuable opportunity to sit down with your teen and discuss how everything\u2019s going. Tell your child all the positive things that their teachers said about them.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether their teachers sang their praises or suggested many areas for improvement, your child should always feel you\u2019re there to support them.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Don&#8217;t&#8230;<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Get defensive<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If a teacher tells you that your child needs to work harder or change their behaviour, the best thing is to have a productive conversation about how to help them do that.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Bring gifts<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While it can be nice to thank teachers at the end of the Autumn term or the school year, it\u2019s not appropriate for parents\u2019 evenings.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Fill up the time with just you talking<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your meeting should be collaborative, and give both you and the teacher a chance to better understand your child.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Get angry with your child<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If a teacher has told you about naughty behaviour or that they\u2019re not applying themselves, just telling them off is likely to make them feel everyone is against them.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Instead, try asking them what you can do to help or support them so they can reach their full potential. If they feel like you and their teachers believe in them, they\u2019re more likely to apply themselves.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Compare your teen with other students<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This isn\u2019t a helpful approach for you or your teen \u2013 they\u2019re their own person, on their own path. So, it\u2019s best to keep the chat focused on your child.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Go beyond the set time<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Teachers will have a lot of parents to talk to across the evening and everyone will have a dedicated slot. If you have other questions or concerns, make a plan to stay in touch.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><b>Feel like your teen might benefit from the support of a tutor? <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/view-tutors\/\"><b>Search our 1-1 tutors here<\/b><\/a><b>.<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>School parents\u2019 evenings are a great chance for you to hear how your teen is doing \u2013&nbsp;directly from their teachers. You\u2019ll normally get 10-15 minutes to sit down with each teacher. It\u2019s your opportunity to listen to what they have&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":9120,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[788,6],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to get the most out of school parents\u2019 evenings | MyTutor<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"You&#039;ll likely only get a brief slot, so here&#039;s how to make the most of your child&#039;s parents&#039; evenings at school.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/parents\/a-guide-to-school-parents-evenings-the-dos-and-donts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta 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