Remote Parents’ Evenings

Covid 19 resulted in parents’ evening having to take place remotely, another big change navigated by schools and parents, and whilst required, it was seen as a great success. Schools are back on site now, but are in-person Parents’ Evenings back, and should you worry if they are not?

According to a recent TES poll, two thirds of schools are aiming for hybrid evenings from now on and one third looking to move completely to online only. The software has matured, the meetings can take place, but the feel of being connected to the school can be lost, so let’s look at the benefits and why we should be embracing this move.

• Convenience to families. No longer do parents have to book time off work, travel to and from the school, cram dinner into the 20 minutes before or after the event or cancel extracurricular activities. With set timings, you have the evening planned ahead of you, often able to see more teachers and prioritising where necessary.

• Convenience to teachers. Virtual meetings have assisted with timekeeping, ensuring everyone has their appointment. Preparation for the event has reduced pressure and time requirements, meaning teachers can focus on the important meetings themselves and it has freed up some of that lost time in the evening for other school preparation and downtime.

There will be things to learn; being cut off after 7 minutes by the program can be galling, but any meeting that is taking that long should have resulted in the parents being approached in advance. Schools certainly will make up that time where required. Using the booking system to ask questions to the teacher in advance is another brilliant way to ensure the efficiency of your appointments and that you come away from the evening happy that you are fully informed. Other in-person events in the year may become more important to keep that sense of community and attachment to the school, so please do join the PTA and attend year group meetings put on by the school; they will want to spend time with you too!

The move to online parents’ evenings can be seen as daunting, as it is the first major change like this in school history, but certainly nothing to worry about.