12 ways to build a great relationship with your child’s teacher

If you have issues to discuss with your child’s teacher, arrange an appointment to talk to her after school. This allows you both to focus on the issue at hand, and teacher's normally have a lot to during the school day – especially first thing in the morning! 

Sometimes things happen in the classroom that are upsetting for you or your child, but try to keep some perspective. ‘Recently a colleague mispronounced a new child’s name, and the parent went straight to the head to complain,’ says Jodie, a Foundation Stage teacher. 

It would be much better to discuss problems with the teacher first, if this is possible. Mistakes will happen but most teacher's will be open to listening and correcting the problem. 

Year 2 teacher David points out that receiving envelopes with no name/date/relevant information on them (for school trips or lunches) can be quite confusing. Try to be as clear as possible with your correspondence. 

Kids can be more boisterous at school than they are at home, and often interact very differently with other children and adults. Try to keep that in mind when your child's teacher wants to speak to you about their behaviour. 

If your child has job-share teachers, try to address questions and comments to the right one. For instance, if your child left something at school one day, address the teacher who was working at that time to try and help. The other teacher will probably not have a clue! 

‘Some parents never pay for trips or swimming lessons because we have to write on the letter that contributions are voluntary,’ Steph explains. ‘Many schools have budget deficits, and if parents who can afford to contribute won’t pay, these activities can’t go ahead.’ This advice doesn't apply if you are struggling financially. But if you can comfortably afford to, then it helps they school a great deal. 

Rather than trying to teach your child to read and write before starting school, it’s more helpful to teachers if they can get dressed, put on their shoes and open their lunchbox himself. The little things go a long way and help everything to run more smoothly. 

It's fantastic if you're keen for your child to be doing more and confident on their capabilities, but teachers know what they're doing and there are important steps they need to be taken towards building certain skills, like reading and spelling. The teacher will do their best to go at the child's pace, so try not to panic and push for more. 

It pays to familiarise yourself with the school’s behavioural policy before you object to any punishments that are doled out. There may be some things that you tolerate at home that are not accepted by the school. 

Children learn best in a tidy environment, so encourage your child to do their bit. At the start of the day, make sure your child puts their coat and bag on their peg by themselves before class begins – you'd be surprised how much this helps create a nicer learning environement. 

If you don't want to spend much of your life pestering school staff and hunting for missing items, be sure to label everything! Things will still go missing but at least you will get them back much quicker. 

Remember that teachers are staying later to talk to you about your child, and if you can't make then try to let the school know as soon as possible.