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Parents' Evening Questions: What to Ask, Stage by Stage, and How to Use a Short Slot

Parents' evening questions matter because the slot is short. Many schools give each family only a few minutes with each teacher, and it is easy to spend all of it nodding along to a summary you could have read in a report. The parents who come away with something useful go in with two or three specific questions. This page gives 20 to choose from, grouped by stage, plus questions for children with special educational needs, and what you are entitled to if a short meeting is not enough.

Before you go

Ask your child two things the day before: what is going well, and what they find hard. Their answers often point straight at the question worth asking. Read the last report or any online tracking the school uses, so you are not spending the slot on information you already have. Then choose your top three questions and write them down. If you only get to one, make it the one you most need answered.

Questions for any year group

1. Is my child working at the level you would expect for their age, and how do you know?
2. What is one thing they do well in your lessons that I might not see at home?
3. What is the one thing that would make the biggest difference to their progress this year?
4. How do they get on with other children, and who do they work well with?
5. Do they ask for help when they are stuck?
6. Is there anything we can do at home to support what you are teaching this term?

The second half of question 1 is the important part. A teacher's answer that names a piece of work or an assessment tells you far more than "they're doing fine".

Questions for primary school (Reception to Year 6)

7. How is their reading going, and what should they be reading at home now?
8. Are they confident with number facts and times tables for their year?
9. How do they cope with the routines of the day, such as changing for PE, lining up and lunchtime?
10. Do they concentrate for as long as you would expect, or drift off?
11. For Year 2 and Year 6: how are they getting on ahead of the end of key stage assessments, and is there anything to work on?

If your child is in Year 1, our guide to the phonics screening check explains what is tested in June; in Year 4, the multiplication tables check page does the same. For Year 6, see SATs results explained.

Questions for secondary school (Years 7 to 11)

12. What grade or level are they working at now, and what is their target?
13. Is homework being handed in on time and to the standard you expect?
14. How are they in class: do they contribute, and are they distracted by anything or anyone?
15. Which topics coming up this year are the hardest, and how can they prepare?
16. For Years 9 to 11: which options or GCSE tiers do you think suit them, and why?
17. What revision resources do you recommend for this subject?

At secondary you may see eight or more subject teachers in one evening, so prioritise the subjects where the report or your child has flagged a worry. For subjects that are going well, a two-line check is enough. Our page on Progress 8 and Attainment 8 explains how the school itself is measured at GCSE.

Questions if your child has special educational needs

18. What support is my child getting in this subject, and who provides it?
19. Is the support working, and how are you measuring that?
20. When is the next review of their support plan or EHCP, and can I meet the SENCO before then?

A parents' evening slot is rarely long enough to discuss special educational needs properly. Use it to check how things are going in each subject, and ask for a separate meeting with the special educational needs coordinator (SENCO) for anything bigger. Our guides to SEN support and EHCPs and your SEND rights at school set out what the school has to provide.

In the slot

• Ask your questions first. Teachers often start with a summary; it is fine to say you have one or two specific things you would like to ask.
• Ask for an example. "Could you show me a piece of work that shows that?" turns a general comment into something you can act on.
• Agree one action. One thing for your child to work on, and one thing you can do at home, is plenty.
• Keep an eye on time. If there is more to discuss, ask how to arrange a longer meeting rather than overrunning into the next family's slot.

After parents' evening

Tell your child what the teachers said, starting with something positive, then the one target. Write down anything agreed, with the teacher's name, so you can follow up. If you were worried by something, email the teacher or form tutor within a few days while it is fresh. If the concern is about the school's handling of something rather than your child's progress, our guide on how to complain about a school sets out the stages.

What the school has to tell you anyway

Parents' evenings are something schools choose to run; the legal duty is the written report. In England, headteachers must send parents a written report on their child's progress by the end of each summer term. It has to cover general progress, strengths and areas to develop, attendance, and how to arrange a discussion about the report with a teacher, and for some year groups it must include national assessment or exam results. So if you cannot attend parents' evening, or the slot is too short, you can still ask for a conversation about your child's progress.

Separated parents are both entitled to this information. A parent who does not live with the child still has the right to reports and to take part in school life, unless a court order says otherwise, and schools can be asked to send reports to both addresses.

For more on choosing and working with your child's school, see our guide to comparing schools, or return to the Schools Insight home page.

Sources

• GOV.UK, school reports on pupil performance: guide for headteachers: gov.uk
• GOV.UK, understanding and dealing with issues relating to parental responsibility: gov.uk

Checked on 1 October 2026.