Illustration of a school leader at their desk with a teacher sat across from them, talking about meeting with parents
Tes Marketing
School management

How to support your teachers during parents’ evenings

Learn practical ways school leaders can support teachers during parents’ evenings to help them manage their time, reduce pressure, and have meaningful conversations that improve student progress.
25 Mar 26

Parents’ evenings are one of the busiest events in your school calendar. With back-to-back appointments and high attendance, teachers can quickly feel overwhelmed. The right support helps them stay organised, confident and focused – so every meeting is purposeful and positive.

Improve parents’ evenings attendance at your school with our blog, ‘How to increase attendance for parents’ evenings’.

Read the blog
Illustration of a group of parents sat in a waiting room, with a clock on the wall behind them

This guide walks through what you can do before, during and after parents’ evenings to support teachers and ensure the experience is smooth, fair and stress-free. 

1. Give teachers clarity and control 

A predictable, well-structured timetable is one of the easiest ways to support teachers. Make sure they can: 

  • See their full appointment list in advance 

  • Set or update their own availability 

  • Include buffer time to reset between interviews 

  • Access everything from one place 

When teachers know who they’re meeting, when, and for how long, they can prepare effectively – and spend their time planning meaningful conversations rather than logistics. 

2. Reduce admin so teachers can focus on parents 

Teachers perform best when they aren’t bogged down with admin tasks. Using a system like Tes Parents’ Meetings helps by: 

  • Automating timetables 

  • Eliminating manual rescheduling 

  • Ending appointments on time 

  • Reducing the need to chase parents 

  • Providing clear visibility of bookings and no-shows 

Less admin means more time and energy for higher quality communication. 

3. Create a calm and organised meeting environment 

The physical environment makes a huge difference during fast-paced parents’ evenings. Support teachers by ensuring:  

  • Rooms are clearly labelled and prepared 

  • The space is quiet, tidy and comfortable 

  • Laptops or devices are charged and ready 

  • Water or refreshments are available 

  • Signage helps parents arrive at the right place on time 

When the environment is calm, teachers can be too. 

4. Align on key messages and priorities 

It’s much easier for teachers to feel confident when expectations are clear. Provide guidance around: 

  • How to summarise student progress 

  • How to share strengths and areas for development 

  • How to offer constructive feedback 

  • How to set targets collaboratively with families 

  • What follow-ups or action plans should include 

This ensures consistent communication across teachers and year groups. 

5. Encourage teachers to make parents’ evenings a two-way conversation 

A good parents’ evening is collaborative. Encourage teachers to invite parents to share: 

  • Their observations from home 

  • Questions or concerns 

  • Priorities for the term 

  • Feedback about their child’s learning habits 

This helps teachers build stronger relationships while reducing pressure. 

6. Provide real-time support on the day 

Even the most thoroughly planned parents’ evenings need hands-on support. 

Help teachers by offering: 

  • A central help desk for quick questions 

  • Tech support 

  • Spare devices or chargers 

  • Printed or digital schedules 

  • Support for last minute booking changes 

Tes Parents’ Meetings helps minimise these issues by keeping everything in one place and ensuring smooth transitions between appointments. 

7. Use data to identify where teachers need extra support

Booking data can reveal useful patterns that help you support staff more effectively. Look out for: 

  • Teachers with unusually high attendance 

  • Parents who frequently reschedule 

  • Students without appointments 

  • Disproportionate workloads across teams 

These insights make it easier for you to allocate support where it’s needed most. 

8. Follow up with teachers after the event 

After parents’ evenings, teachers appreciate space to reflect. Ask for quick feedback on: 

  • What worked well  

  • What could be improved 

  • Whether the timing felt fair 

  • What support they need next time 

This helps you continually refine the process and makes your teachers feel that their voice matters. 

However, it’s also key to make it clear what has changed following teacher feedback, so share a summary of changes you’ve made before your next parents’ evenings. Collecting feedback each time helps you identify which changes are sustainable and where further attention is needed.

Support your teachers for better parents’ evenings 

Tes Parents’ Meetings helps schools run fair, on-time and well-organised parents’ evenings – giving teachers the structure and support they need to focus on meaningful communication with parents. 

Schools love it because: 

  • Video meetings are secure and simple, with no app needed 

  • A built-in countdown timer keeps interviews running on time by automatically ending interviews 

  • Auto-advance moves parents to the next teacher without delays 

  • It integrates with your school management system, saving precious admin time 

  • Reporting shows you the students without appointments and the most popular times 

  • Staff can use single sign on for quick access

Our free guide shows you how Tes Parents’ Meetings can help you support teachers, improve attendance and run smoother parents’ evenings with less admin and less stress. 

Read the guide

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