Professional Guidance - Parent/Teacher Meeting Preparations
- Published: 04 November 2024
As schools are currently arranging parent/teacher meetings, it is perhaps opportune to consider the following issues when making decisions about the structure of these meetings. Most parents look forward to the meeting, even if it is only for a few minutes to discuss their child’s progress. The majority of meetings proceed smoothly with teachers and parents generally feeling appreciated and affirmed by the experience.
Sometimes difficult conversations take place during the course of parent/teacher meetings. Meetings are tiring for teachers, especially after a day’s work. Parents may be anxious about their child’s progress or difficulties and, while most meetings will not present any problems, there is always the possibility of tension. These are the situations where ‘what if’ conversations with staff prior to meetings could prove helpful in achieving a better outcome if one is prepared.
The preferred structure of the meeting is the first decision that you make with your staff. Many schools offer parents the option of face-to-face, online or phone conversation. No one size fits all and it depends on the school’s capacity and context.
Generally, the meetings take place over the course of a week with one particular day arranged to cover the majority of parents in a class. On this day, the school may close half an hour before the usual closing time. Circular 14/04 states: ‘In each school year there will be one formal parent/teacher meeting. This meeting will normally commence at 3.15 and will end at 5.45 pm, unless otherwise agreed at local level between all relevant parties.’ Croke Park hours may be used to extend the duration of this meeting or to provide for formal parent/teacher meetings on more than one afternoon/evening.
The following are some issues/suggestions that may need to be considered:
- What is the school’s preferred option for facilitating parent/teacher meetings? The task of allocating times to parents and especially accommodating parents who have more than one child in the school can be time-consuming, particularly when doing it with pen and paper. Some schools use an extension to one of the School Management Systems which allows parents to select their own times and which then produces the timetable for every class. There are also some school-based Apps which can assist. Depending on family circumstances, parents may also each require a separate parent/teacher meeting. Some teachers facilitate P/T meetings before or after school during the week assigned for such meetings.
- Sometimes difficult conversations take place during the course of P/T meetings. There are the situations where “what if” conversations with staff prior to meetings could prove helpful in achieving a better outcome, for example:
- What if... a parent becomes upset and/or aggressive during a parent/teacher meeting?
- What if... a parent wants to record the meeting? If online, confirm to the parent that the session is not being recorded and that there is no one else with you in the room. Ask the parent to confirm the same. Be aware that some parents may surreptitiously record a parent/teacher meeting. This is illegal and can only be done with the consent of the parties involved. Many schools now post prominent notices to this effect for face-to-face meetings.
- What if... more than the allocated time is required? Discuss and agree the procedure to be followed in these cases. There may be instances where a teacher does not feel comfortable meeting a particular parent(s) on their own. In such cases, it would be advisable to support that teacher by sitting in on the meeting or by having a support teacher present during the meeting.
- Normally, parents of children availing of additional support will want to meet those teachers. These can be arranged as a follow-up to meeting the class teacher or involve both teachers at the same time. These arrangements will depend on the school context and procedures.
Useful Resources
There are two resources on the IPPN website that teachers may find helpful in their preparation for parent/teacher meetings:
