Parent consultation evenings: requirements

Read guidance on how to meet the requirement for maintained schools to provide at least 1 opportunity per year for parents/carers to discuss pupil progress with a teacher.

Last reviewed on 18 August 2025See updates
School types: AllSchool phases: AllRef: 1873
Contents
  1. You must give parents/carers the opportunity to discuss their child's progress
  2. You can decide how to meet this requirement
  3. Set staff attendance expectations

You must give parents/carers the opportunity to discuss their child's progress

Maintained schools must give each year group at least 1 chance per year for parents/carers to discuss their child's progress with a teacher.

This is set out in Regulation 6 of The Education (Pupil Information) (England) Regulations 2005.

You can decide how to meet this requirement

Schools often hold parents' evenings to meet this requirement.

You can:

  • Organise a virtual parents' evening, as long as parents/carers have a 1-on-1 conversation with a teacher
  • Use a hybrid system of in-person and online options to give parents/carers a better chance of attending

 However, there are no rules on the method you should use.

Make sure everyone can take part 

Adjust the way you run parents' evening so that all groups of parents/carers can discuss their child's progress. 

Read our article on separated parents for guidance on