How many parents evenings?

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

My DC's school is a state primary (England). We have 2 parents evenings a year, one around Nov and one around March. We are free to make appointments with the teachers as necessary in between, but if you do that too often you feel as though you are being pushy.

Going from March to November without a parents evening feels like a very big gap to me, I would ideally like a third one after reports come out but they don't come out till the very end of summer term, just wondered what happens in other schools.

[LaCerbiatta]

Exactly the same in ours.
Don't think you'd be seen as pushy for booking an appointment. We would have had enough time to do it after receiving the report and end of term, maybe 2 weeks.

[Picturesinthefirelight]

One in October & one in May.

[Adikia]

DDs school have 3, December, March and July. DS's have 2, 1 at Christmas and one in June

[Toohotforfishandchips]

Same here. They expect you to ask if you want more than a couple of ten min sessions. And yes it's pants

[Toohotforfishandchips]

Stupid auto correct. I meant it's lots less than when they are younger and in nursery, I miss out as mine are in wrap round care so I don't get to see their teacher. Now try and do drop off and pick up once a week for this reason. It does feel like a mid term top line summary would be useful !!! .. Big teachers are way too stretched already

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

I just thought that it might be easier for teachers to have one more pair of parents evenings in July than loads of parents trying to make appointments individually, but I suppose far more come to parents eve than make individual appointments. It's been fine this year but the last two years I have found it difficult to see DS's teachers in the few days remaining after the reports came out. I know how hard they work, and the reports are very thorough. I suppose though, they've got class sizes around 35 so it must be hard to keep all the parents happy.

[Pooka]

November and then week after Easter hols.

Fine by me. Sept-nov gives the teacher time to get to know dc. Nov to April means can give good idea of progress by then.

If we want to see them post report, we can make appointment. But generally there are no surprises.

[Pooka]

Reports come out about 2weeks before end of term (ties in with when year 6 get their SATS results).

[cece]

Normal to have two a year ime.
Why do you need to speak about the report? Surely if it is thorough enough then there is no need to meet with the teacher about it? Unless of course you don't agree or want to clarify something.

[Toohotforfishandchips]

Our reports came out on Friday and we broke up Tuesday !

[MirandaWest]

We have one in October and one in March. You are invited to come and see teachers after their reports which come out about two weeks before the end of term.

[chickenfish]

July is far too busy for another parents evening in my school. It would be hell trying to fit it in around all the other things we need to do at the end of the year.

In September and October I often find I haven't yet been able to get to know all 30+ children well enough. It's not impossible but if the parents evening is in November or the very end of October then I know my class better and I can easily talk about their strengths and weaknesses and what I'd hope to see next.

It is hard to keep all the parents happy and get your job done at the same time (planning, marking etc!).

[chickenfish]

We have two a year but parents can make appointments inbetween if they are desperate.

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

I should have said, DS has SNs so there is often quite a lot to discuss. It was just something I was discussing with some other mums, that the gap between the two parents eves is a long one, really just wondered if it was standard. Maybe we're a pushy bunch.

[chickenfish]

It's a long gap to you but to the teachers it is very short because they will have only had the class since September! Reports generally take the place of a third parents evening and should give you enough information about how well your child has done that term and year.

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

Fair enough, it's just something we had been pondering. I fully take the point about needing most of the autumn term to get to know the children, it is the second half of the school year that feels a bit of a gap. The reports are thorough but somehow they don't tell you very much IYSWIM.

[BikeRunSki]

We do November, April and July

[BackforGood]

I think that's fairly normal. The reports kind of take the place of the Summer Term. I've had odd times over the years where my dc have had one in the Summer, and quite frankly, it's a waste of the parents' time, and a waste of the teachers' time. Any issue at school, you'd hope they'd contact you and not wait until Parents' Evening, and any issue from parents, you'd arrange to speak to them.
I've generally found the reports give just as much information as Parents' Evenings.

[steppemum]

we have
oct/nov
march
July reports 2 weeks before end of term, parent's evening is on calendar, but only if you need it to discuss report. Very few take it.

but we do get short reports more often, at the end of every term and half term (so 5 times) we get a 1 page sheet that has their NC levels, and a mark for effort and 3 targets to work on.

[steppemum]

I think parents whose kids have SEN or who are struggling come in and see the teahcer more often in between

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

We only get NC levels in SATS years, targets given out at parents evenings.

[angelcake20]

Yes, October and March here. October always feels like a waste of time as the teachers hardly know the kids by then. I would also really appreciate one nearer the end of the year but don't want to be seen as one of 'those' parents by arranging a bespoke appointment, especially as it would just be for a progress report. Our reports only give NC levels in years 2 & 6 and we only see targets once a year. I've had several reports in the past which have raised issues that have never been mentioned previously in the year.

[HouseofEliot]

We have October and February. Then one in July they ask you to go if you have any issues with the reports. Very few seem to go in from what I have seen. My Dd's like me to go and see their work in their classrooms.

[ABlandAndDeadlyCourtesy]

One around October half term, one around feb half term, a "drop in" after reports.

I made an appointment for July as I wasn't sure I could make the drop in. It's not pushy.

[ABlandAndDeadlyCourtesy]

To me, the October one was fine as it was far enough into term to identify how much effort DS was putting in (not enough!) so we had a lot of time to help him.