Parent/Carer Consultations

If you would rather a telephone consultation then click here to book it

Consultations

As many parents & carers are aware, we invite you to attend our consultations twice a year – once in the autumn term and once in the spring term. The aim of the consultation is to have a discussion about your child’s progress and how we can all support them in their learning, to enable them to reach their full potential. This is also an ideal time to share ideas about how you can support your child at home.

Booking for face-to-face consultations will be available online, through your SCOPAY app or website - the same system you will be familiar with for booking school trips. The letter and message you receive before consultations will give you the time the online booking becomes active for parents/carers.

 

For further information on how to use the booking system, please see the following PDF:

scopay parent guide parents evening.pdf

 

Please be aware that these consultations are ten minutes maximum and it is vital that parents/carers turn up promptly and do not go over their allotted time because it is our expectation that every child in school has representation of a parent/carer. If you would like more time with your child’s teacher please talk to them during the initial consultation to arrange an alternative appointment for a later date and they will be happy to oblige.

There will be no supervision for children on site, so we would appreciate your co-operation in managing the behaviour of children brought with you to allow parents/carers to conduct their consultation in a professional manner.

The time brackets of our consultations have increased each year, to accommodate as many parents/carers as we possible can and this is reviewed for each consultation session.

Alternatively, if you cannot make a face-to-face appointment, we will continue to offer the opportunity for class teachers to make phone calls home. These will take place in during the course of the evening as well as the next day. If you require a phone call, please fill out the online form, which can be found using this link.

SEND Support

Many children across the school could benefit from extra support with their learning and class teachers will of course discuss this with you. However, it may be of extra benefit for some parents/carers to consult with the SENDCo, in order to establish how best to help your child. In these instances, your child’s class teacher will ask you if you would like to speak to SENDCo, who will be around throughout the evening, to arrange a suitable time to have a meeting.

Nursery

Please note, our usual practice has been that classes Reception through to Year 6 have run concurrently whereas Nursery have had their own separate days, with time slots allocated over a number of days to encourage a rich discussion about your child's progress. However, parents/carers will receive information about any consultations when necessary.

Music

In most instances, Music (including singing) will be reported to parents/carers by the class teacher, as they have a knowledge of how your child has been getting on within their lessons. However, those children who undertake peripatetic lessons will be offered a separate time slot with Mr McKeown to discuss their child's progress.

If you would like to see your child's music teacher separately please speak to a member of the SLT.

PE

PE will be reported to parents/carers by the class teacher as all staff are encouraged to spend time with their classes during PE sessions and so they have a clear understanding of the progress they are making and the effort they show. However, if you would like to see your child's PE teacher separately please speak to a member of the SLT.

Reports

Mid-Year Report

In order to keep parents and carers more informed of their child’s progress within school, we issue the children with a Mid-Year Report. This is a ‘snapshot’ of how your child is progressing within different areas of their school life. This report has always been very successful and we have seen that it will provides a wonderful starting point for discussions you have with your child’s teacher during their consultations. It will be given out at the mid-point of the academic year, just before we hold our spring consultations.

The Mid-Year Report focuses on three areas:

Academic

Children will receive a grading based on their teacher’s assessment that is separated into both attainment and effort for subjects that can be quantified through assessment. This will give the opportunity for parents and carers to see how their child is progressing and also how much effort they are putting into their work. Subjects such as PE & Art, which are very subjective as to attainment, will only be graded on the effort a child shows in these lessons.

Attitude Towards Learning Independently

At St. Thomas of Canterbury, we pride ourselves in giving the children many opportunities to explore their work further, investigate and solve problems independently. This is not easy for children but as they show independence towards their learning they progress at faster rates and it gives them confidence in their abilities.

Social

Children will be given a grading based on their conduct in school, both in class and out of class, which includes breaktimes, lunchtimes and out-of-class activities. Also, children will receive a grading of their uniform, which includes PE kit. We feel this is important because we consistently promote the children’s level of pride in their school and themselves.

Comments within the reports will be kept to a minimum and only poignant points will be added as we believe face-to-face conversations (e.g. at consultations) will be more valuable.

We are confident that you will find this Mid-Year Report useful and if you have any questions regarding the assessments, please do not hesitate to speak to your child’s class teacher.

End of Year Report

Given out at the end of the academic year, the End of Year report is a comprehensive review of how your child has progressed throughout the year. There will be a curriculum overview and a grading system similar to the one they will have received in their Mid Year Report. However, the End of Year Report offers an opportunity for their teacher to elaborate on their thoughts about your child's conduct, progress, social elements and much more. This will allow the teacher to express how they feel your child has embraced their year and offer advice as to how your child can continue to progress in as they move up to the next year group.

Although the reports are given out towards the end of the year, we endeavour to allow to allow enough time for you to see your child's class teacher if you wish to have a discussion with them.