Parents’ evening questions: the complete guide for teachers
Why preparing the right questions matters
Parents' evenings move quickly. Before you know it, eight minutes have passed, you’re already behind schedule, and there’s a line of parents waiting outside (or in the online lobby).
Having a clear set of questions – both the ones you intend to ask and the ones parents often want answered – helps you guide the conversation, stay focused, and make every minute count.
These questions can be your anchor points: they help you steer the discussion, remember important details and make sure every family walks away feeling informed, reassured, and valued.
Questions teachers can ask for meaningful parents' evening conversations
These questions help you understand the student’s world beyond the classroom and build a stronger partnership with families.
1. Understanding context and wellbeing
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How is your child feeling about school at the moment?
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Have you noticed any changes in their confidence, friendships, or general wellbeing?
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Is there anything happening at home that might affect their learning or behaviour?
2. Learning habits and support
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What does homework look like at home? Are there any challenges?
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How does your child talk about their learning?
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Are there any subjects they’re feeling especially confident with or worried about?
3. Identifying parent priorities
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What would you most like us to focus on over the next term?
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Are there skills or behaviours you’d like extra support with?
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Is there anything your child really wants to achieve this year?
4. Additional support needs
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Have you noticed anything we should be aware of such as attention, sensory needs or anxiety?
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Is there anything we can adjust in class to better support your child?
Questions parents often ask teachers during parents' evenings
Parents want to gain clarity, reassurance and actionable insight from their meetings with teachers.
These are common questions they bring to parents' evenings – preparing answers for these ahead of time helps the conversation flow, and ensures you don’t forget any details.
1. Academic progress
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How is my child progressing compared to expectations for their year level?
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Are they on track with literacy/numeracy?
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Which areas should we focus on at home?
2. Behaviour and participation
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How do they behave in class?
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Are they engaged in lessons?
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How do they work with others?
3. Social and emotional development
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Are they making friends easily?
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Is their confidence growing?
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How do they handle challenges or mistakes?
4. Classroom routines and expectations
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Is their homework completed to the right standard?
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Do they stay organised?
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How well do they follow instructions?
5. Support and next steps
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What can we do at home to help?
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Are there school programs that could assist them?
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What will the next term or several terms of learning look like?
Parents’ evening at nursery, kindergarten and pre-school
Parents of young children may be navigating interviews for the first time. They might ask:
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Are they settling in well?
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How are they developing socially?
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Are there early signs of strengths or areas needing support?
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Are they meeting early learning milestones?
As a teacher, you can ask:
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How is your child adjusting to routines?
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What helps calm or soothe them at home?
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What activities do they enjoy most outside school?
Tips for guiding conversations and staying on track
A solid set of questions makes life easier, but your approach matters just as much. Here are a few simple ways to keep interviews smooth, supportive, and purposeful:
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Start with positives to set a constructive tone
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Keep an eye on the clock with a phone timer or by using meeting software with a built‑in countdown
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Use your notes so you can stay focused and remember key points
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Invite parent voice early by asking their priorities upfront – this makes them feel heard and helps you know where to direct the conversation
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End with next steps and clear follow-up actions, as these give families clarity and confidence
Want to make parents’ evenings even easier?
Tes Parents’ Meetings helps schools run fair, on-time, and well-organised parents’ evening – whether in‑person, online, or hybrid.
Schools love it because:
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Video meetings are secure and simple, with no app needed
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A built‑in countdown timer ends appointments right on time
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Auto‑advance moves parents to the next teacher without delays
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It integrates with your school management system, saving precious admin time
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Reporting shows you the students without appointments, teacher load, and most popular times
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Staff can use single sign-on for quick access
Our free guide shows you how Tes Parents’ Meetings can help your school have smoother interviews – with less admin and less stress.