Parents’ evenings can be extremely beneficial for parents, pupils and teachers. However, they can be ineffective and frustrating when certain aspects of the process do not run smoothly. Here are some parents evening tips to help your school run a successful event.
Review the process
Most primary schools have a structure in place of how they want their sessions to run. But when was the last time you reviewed it?
Long queueing times, delayed appointments and no-shows – we’ve all been there! It’s a good idea for schools to review their processes each year, implementing changes to hopefully avoid such events occurring.
Managing the crowd
Despite the best efforts to manage time and appointments effectively, parents’ evenings can be extremely busy at times. Even if you have appointments booked, slots get delayed, and parents end up waiting around with their child. To avoid complaints and disappointment, schools need to ensure that they’re seeing things from a parent’s point of view, which means making the process as efficient and stress-free as possible.
Use booking software to help your school
On that note, the most effective tool for a successful event is our specifically tailored Parents’ Evening module.
Parents can book, amend and check their appointments on the SCOPAY website. They can then make any amendments needed, without relying on children relaying notes back to the school! Additionally, parents can set up alerts in SCOPAY, to be notified by email when a new meeting is available to book. Moving away from paper forms and endless phone calls eases stress for both parties and reduces time spent coordinating your event.
The module also enables schools to share documents before meetings, and gives the option for parents and teachers to leave notes. The school configures the notes feature as desired; either just for teachers, or parents too. For example, parents can let teachers know what they want to discuss. For added security, the notes are only visible in the parent’s and teacher’s accounts – administrators cannot see them.
Video calling option
To add more flexibility, why not offer busy parents a video call option? This feature is included in the module and parents are given a set timeslot to chat to the teacher remotely, parents can also dial in from separate locations, ideal for busy parents.
Can we help you?
If your school could benefit from reviewing your current parents’ evening process, see how our Parents’ Evening module could help here. Call us on 02380 016 563 or email to find out more.
