Primary School:
- Contact the school office:
- Make an appointment for non-urgent matters like discussing your child’s progress. This may not be immediate, but usually within the same week.
- Ask to speak to the Deputy Head or Head Teacher for urgent matters, such as your child being unwell at school and needing to be picked up.
- Teachers are usually busy:
- Don’t approach them directly before or after school, as they are often preparing for lessons, attending meetings, or running clubs.
- They don’t usually give out personal contact information, like email addresses or phone numbers.
- Informal communication:
- During drop-off or pick-up, you may ask quick questions about daily routines, like “Does my child need to bring an extra snack tomorrow?” or “If my child becomes unwell, could you please let me know?”
Secondary School:
- Ask your child to talk to the teacher first:
- This helps them develop independent problem-solving skills. Encourage them to ask subject-specific questions directly from the relevant teacher.
- Contact the school office if your child can’t talk to the teacher:
- They can help you arrange an appointment with the appropriate staff member.
- Teachers are subject-specific:
- If you have a question about a specific subject like maths or history, ask to speak with the teacher for that subject.
- Make appointments for non-urgent matters:
- Similar to primary schools, this helps ensure the teacher has dedicated time to address your concern.
- For urgent matters, ask to speak to the year group leader if the teacher cannot meet:
- They can address urgent concerns or assist you in contacting the appropriate teacher.
Remember:
- Be polite and clear in your communication.
- Schools welcome parental involvement and are happy to answer your questions about your child’s education.
What is the difference between trying to contact teachers at primary school and secondary school?
Contacting primary school teachers is often a little easier and more informal than when you contact secondary schools because your child will usually only have one teacher that you need to speak to each year.
However, in all UK schools, the security of pupils and staff on site is paramount. This is why there are school regulations about how and when you can approach teachers to talk to them. It is important to use the school’s procedure for contacting staff to receive the best attention. Most schools welcome parental involvement and interest and will be happy to see a parent if they are concerned or have a question.
At primary school, class teachers are often busy before and after school with preparation, staff meetings, extra-curricular clubs and parent contact so it is best to go to the school admin office to make an appointment to see the teacher if you wish to discuss something non-urgent about your child. This meeting may not be immediate or even on the same day, but is usually within the same week. Teachers at primary schools do not usually have personal email addresses or phone numbers to give to parents but they will always be willing to meet you for a chat if you make an appointment to see them first. Primary schools are used to parents wanting to ask questions about their young children and sometimes, infant, junior and primary schools invite parents into the classroom at the beginning or end of the day to drop off or collect their child. This may be the opportunity to ask the teacher or Learning Support Assistant a quick question or pass on a message e.g. Does my child need to bring an extra snack tomorrow? Sam has a sore throat today, so if he is feeling unwell later today, please let me know and I’ll come and collect him.
If your message is urgent, ask the admin office if you can speak to the Deputy Head or Head Teacher with an urgent matter and they will usually be able to arrange for someone on the leadership team to speak to you as soon as possible.
Secondary schools often expect their pupils to speak to a member of staff if they have learning, physical or emotional needs. At secondary school, your child may have 7 or more teachers, one for each different subject. They may also have a form tutor, who looks after the needs of the whole class that your child is in. Your child may need to speak with only one of these teachers to solve a problem or question and, if they can, it is always best for them to ask the specific teacher first.
If your child cannot talk to the teacher, contact the admin office. If you have a general question or concern that the Form Tutor might answer, you would need to arrange an appointment to speak to them. If it is a subject specific question, then you will need to ask to speak to your child’s subject teacher. Call, email or visit the school’s admin office and ask to make an appointment to speak to the teacher you wish to speak with. Ask the teacher if there is an email address or contact that you can use to contact them in future.
If it is an urgent matter that you need to discuss and the Form Tutor or subject teacher cannot meet you as soon as you would like, ask to speak to your child’s year group Leader.
This question was asked by one of our parents during our recent webinar ‘Unlocking the Power of Parent-Teacher Communication‘ and was answered by a very experienced primary school teacher who has also held a Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator (SENDCo) role.
If you have any questions for our bilingual team (English and Cantonese), reach out via email contact@seven-springs.co.uk