On Thursday 19th October I held my first parents evening with my mentor. Prior to the evening my mentor and I filled out target consultation sheets for each child within our class, these then gave us prompts to work from during the evening to ensure I was able to demonstrate part of Teaching Standard 8 – communicate effectively with parents with regards to pupils achievements and wellbeing. Each child was given English and Maths targets which were created for them from an independent writing challenge assessment and on-going assessment of the child’s written and maths work over the start of term. I feel this is both beneficial for the child and myself, as we can both be clear on the specific things we need to work on over the forthcoming weeks, and I can be mindful of these when working with or marking each individual’s work. Sharing these targets with parents means that when and if the parents support the child when completing homework they can also ensure the children are working towards these targets. Each child is also given addition targets or discussion points which relate to other factors of school life. This could be a range of different targets from choosing positive people to sit with, to be to listen to and follow instructions and to work on handwriting. After a child’s academic targets were discussed the main focus of this consultation was on this child’s lack of focus, listening skills and ability to communicate effectively with adults. My mentor led the discussion and I made comments where I felt necessary. We discussed with the child’s parent whether they felt there was any concerns at home, the child’s parent agreed with us and is on board for us to seek additional support. I felt this consultation went well and I was able to see how my mentor approached a sensitive subject with parents which is something that will inevitably present itself over the course of the following year and in the future. The focus of another child’s consultation was the speed in which this child completes work. Over the course of a lesson (1 hour), this child may only write 4 lines which is not enough work for us to assess what standard their work is at. After discussion with both the child and parent we are going to implement a reward chart in class which we hope will encourage the completion of work. The focus of another consultation, after academic targets were discussed, was the child’s handwriting. The child’s parent is a KS2 teacher and is concerned at the deterioration of their child’s handwriting and is onboard with the extra in-class support and will give extra support at home with handwriting practice, which will hopefully mean that the child’s handwriting will improve quickly. Conclusion – How will this experience impact on your practice? What would you do differently if this arose again? What else could you consider? Before the evening I filled out the consultation sheets with my mentor and had a discussion about each child in the class to enable us to give the parents relevant information regarding their child. This was the first parents consultation evening I have attended and I was able to observe my mentor and understand the appropriate language which should be used, therefore during the next consultation evening I will be able to communicate with parents in a professional manner. Focused next steps: Continue to have positive contact with parents and be available at the beginning and end of the day to answer any question parents any have regarding their child’s their progress, social skills and behaviour. All Stories