A word about Parents’ Evening

At the end of last year I attended a parents’ evening where I was told my child has moved from being exceptionally good at Maths, to just plain average!

This was somewhat of a shock when a. the school pride themselves on their academic attainment and b. I had raised the issue he was struggling with Maths homework 3 – 4 times during the course of the year just to be told ‘Don’t worry, he’s a mathematician – I’m pushing him.’ So you can imagine I felt the school had failed us – failed to support someone who showed real promise in realising their potential and also failed to engage the child in the subject – a subject which he once LOVED! I should also add that he is ‘average’ (not that I’m a fan of that term) in every other subject, with the exception of PE! So having an academic area to excel in was REALLY important to us.

Fast forward to this year, with a new teacher, who opened the parents evening with, “I knew you’d want to know about Maths and in light of that I set a test last week so that I can understand and advise where we can improve.” She had set that test for our benefit (or at least made me think that), had it at her fingertips and went through a full set of strategies and recommendations for us to work on. We felt valued, cared for and understood, despite receiving bad news – she truly captured our hearts and minds.

Anyone who asked me about the school at the end of last year, would have got a completely different response to anyone who asks me now and that’s why every communication is SO important. And every piece of information has to be in consistent with your brand and your USP’s. Never forget that your parents are your biggest advocates, exceed their expectations and let word of mouth take on a whole journey of its own!