Triangles are often used in construction because of their strength and stability – and the same is true when it comes to building towards bright and rewarding futures for all our young people.

As ISA prepares to host its Parent-Teacher Conferences (PTCs), it’s important to remember that each of the three points of the triangle – parent, school, child – are equal in importance and all bear equal responsibility in helping our young people to be the very best they can be. After all, each point of a triangle is just as important as the other two in ensuring it works.

For that reason, thinking ahead to how to get the most out of talking and listening at the PTC will not only be helpful in the short-term, but can also lead to great outcomes in the longer term.

The main agenda of the PTC is to engage with each other to identify and agree on the next steps for the child’s learning journey – What challenges is my child facing? What support do they need? Are they being stretched enough? What do those next steps look like, and are they realistic? What can I/we do at home? How can I/we make sure we’re on the same page as teaching staff, and pulling in the same direction, with the child at the centre of our efforts?

Academic progress is one piece of the puzzle alongside ensuring a child is developing emotionally, socially and behaviourally. It’s important to remember that most academic growth will come from a young person feeling safe and included. All of these factors combined create the space to grow, try something new in class, seek help, provide help to others, and learn in their best way.

ISA’s “no surprises” culture means that no one should be blindsided by anything in the PTC – if a piece of information or background knowledge is critical in ensuring a full and robust picture of a child’s situation (academic and otherwise), everyone should know about it before the PTC comes around. A pre-arranged meeting at another time, or a chat with a teacher outside school, can ensure good, open lines of communication and gives parents the chance to raise issues as and when, rather than having to wait until set points in the school year.

We want to make sure there are no barriers to getting the most out of communication between school and home so, whilst time is set aside on specific days for PTCs, we are always happy to accommodate busy schedules with appointments at other times. Alternatively, we are equally happy to arrange virtual conferences, using Google Meet to facilitate discussions that might otherwise have been logistically impossible.

We are looking forward to meeting with our families to ensure we are all doing the very best we can to support the children’s learning and wellbeing, using that idea of the triangle as a strong foundation for the future.