You should word process your script, re-use it for every Parents' evening, edit it before the evening, and print it out so you can read it with tired eyes: about Verdana 14 is OK.Your script shouldn't look like the example below, but it should have similar headings (eg Greet, Introduce, etc) and you should - as part of your preparation - mentally rehearse standard phrases like the examples shown below, though I wouldn't recommend that you write these down.
1. Greet.
Yes, I'm serious. Write it down. If necessary, write down "Good evening. Thank you for coming". You will be tired by the end of the evening, and your inbuilt courtesy may well be eroded. If you feel brain-dead, that's when your script comes in. Glance down and say thank you to every single parent, by name. The student's name is good enough. It doesn't matter if this is wrong: for example if Jeremy Abufoso's mum is actually called Mrs Dunstable. She'll be used to Mrs Abufoso. Smile when you say it, and get every encounter off to a good start.
Don't worry about scripting other pleasantries ('sorry we're running late') etc.
2. Introduce.
This means introduce yourself. Make sure you get this right - there is a decision to be made. "Mr Bigrush"? "Brian Bigrush"? "Bigrush - Citizenship"? Be consistent, don't assume that parents have read your name plate, and don't assume that their beloved offspring remembers you (after all, you may not always remember the students).
Personally, I favour "Good evening. Thank you for coming (shake hands). Brian Bigrush, I teach Citizenship and General Studies". Leave it up to the parents to agonise over whether to call you Brian, Mr Bigrush, or Sir.
3. Identify.
This means make sure you know who this child actually is - check their identity before you start. Repeat their name, ideally their form, and the subject you teach them, for example "OK, Jeremy. 9C, General Studies". Look at the student and smile. This may seem redundant and unnecessary, but it will help you save face one day (when the student replies "No Sir, it's Dwayne, 9B, Citizenship". Just smile, apologise ("Sorry, Long day") and move on.
4. Agenda.
Have a checklist of things you want to cover, for example: current performance, attendance, punctuality, effort, behaviour, homework. Don't commit to delivering these in a standard sequence for all students; be prepared to tailor the sequence for different students. For example:
'Abdul's effort this term has been really good, he's a pleasure to have in class, and I'm delighted with how his homework has improved. I would, though like to talk a little bit about attendance and punctuality, because they're important too'.
'Beyonce's punctuality and attendance are terrific, and her homework's usually pretty good too. There's a couple of other things we need to work on, though.'
5. Positives.
Try, really try, to start off with positive news. This will of course not be easy for some students, which means that preparation and maybe brief notes are needed.
6. Data
Of course it's up to you how you monitor your students' progress, but - however you do it - it's a good idea to have some data at hand to refer to during the evening. You need to be organised enough that you don't have to scrabble through paper to find the magic '% attendances' or 'projected grades' that you want to talk about.
As a general rule, and as a personal opinion, I'd err on the side of too little data rather than too much. You can follow up on parental questions via an e-mail/phone call later (if Mrs Picky really, really wants to know exactly what percentage Jeremy scored in the mid-term assesssment). Being organised is more important than having a stack of data.
Report current progress/achievement early in the meeting, but return to it later on in the context of 'what happens next'.
7. Hot-spots
Some discussion points can be anticipated in advance (we'll use 'homework as an example here, but it applies to any problem areas which are common to a number of students). Prepare your form of words in advance, prepare solutions as well as problems, and prepare your defence to obvious criticisms and comebacks. Your intention should be - barring one or two totally unexpected developments - that YOU are in control of the conversations, and that you can lead the discussion without undue stress.
For example, if homework is an issue, by all means state the issue (eg 'Jeremy has handed in no homework since September'), but make sure that you have a solution up your sleeve (eg 'I don't mind e-mailing you a copy of Jeremy's homework each week' or 'I'm available after school each Thursday to help with homework'). You should also anticipate defensiveness from parents (eg 'Why haven't I heard about it before this?'). Have an answer ready (eg 'We do expect students to keep their parents informed, and we only write to parents if there seems to be a communication issue..')
8. Issues
We are distinguishing between 'hot-spots' (areas where students' performance needs to improve - for example 'handwriting') and 'issues' (areas where students themselves need to improve - for example 'behaviour').
'Issues' are likely to be topics that you just cannot wait to air, but don't slam them on the table as soon as the parent sits down. Start with positives, report progress objectively, and deal with learning first. Then and only then raise any concerns about their beloved offspring.
Even then, don't personalise any behaviour concerns - always link it into learning, and seek to draw the parent into the debate. A good lead in phrase is 'I don't know if you see this at home, but...' or 'I don't know if you've noticed...'
For example, don't say 'Jeremy's behaviour in class is appalling - he shouts out and shows me no respect'. Instead try 'I don't know if you see this at home, but Jeremy has a habit of answering back quite loudly, especially when he gets excited. This makes it difficult for anyone to hear what I am saying. I don't think Jeremy is a selfish boy, but this behaviour can look quite selfish.'
The key tactic here is to raise the issue, agree what needs to happen and move on.
9. Progress
The important advice in the last section was at the end: move on. You may well get bogged down in issues and data, especially if you are following a prescriptive set of school policies for parent reporting.
At the end of the meeting, drag the focus back to the big picture. You should certainly talk about target grades (you should have these available, but your students should really know them - tell parents that the students are expected to know them). You should be prepared to talk about what these grades mean in practice, in the context of your subject.
Now, this is horrible, but I have to include this advice. Sometimes, the target grades which are given to students are meaningless. If this is the case, you need to follow your school guidelines as far as you reasonably can, but then encourage your students to set their own achievable-but-challenging targets. The fact that your school leadership are incompetent doesn't change the fact that 'targets' (without a capital T) are important - students need to have a goal, something to work towards.
You should talk about current achievements and issues in the context of those targets - make sure you have advice on how they can move towards their targets, and headline the resources, support and advice which is available to them.
For students who misbehave regularly their academic progress will be enhanced by behaving. However, you will see many parents whose students behave appropriately. Make sure you have an academic suggestion as to how they can move forward. It may be something very simple as learning their multiplication tables thoroughly or mastering a particular topic they found difficult on a recent test. Highlight any online support the student can access and say they are welcome to come and see you after school to go through it.
10. Over to you.
Always ask both the student and the parent if they have any questions... even if you are running late. Be prepared to arrange another meeting if you can't deal with the parents issues there and then. Take a note of any actions, information needed, glitches which must be fixed, on a tick list.
11. Thank you.
Thank them at the start, and thank them at the end. Assertively. This means that you stand up, hold out your hand, smile and say 'Thank you again for coming'. This is your subtle hint that the meeting is over.
If an appointment looks like dragging on, be prepared to get help. For example: 'You've raised some interesting points, but I'm not sure I can answer them in the time we have available. Perhaps I could ask Mr Dullish, our Assistant Head, to continue the discussion...'
To re-emphasize: your script should not look anything like the example above. It certainly shouldn't include anything in "quotation marks". You should list your headings, and then mentally develop some standard forms of words that you can use without too much thought. The whole idea is to do as much thinking as possible beforehand and not relying on a tired, soggy sponge of a brain towards the end of a tedious evening