Our latest survey found parents would like more meaningful information about how children are getting on at school. Parents indicated that they would like to be able to discuss wellbeing issues with teachers, as well as get more feedback about their academic progress.

The survey results published earlier this month found that parents think of parent-teacher interviews as more like a “box ticking exercise” than a useful place to discuss their child's progress.

Parents also said they wanted schools to use more up to date communication methods. Although 98 per cent of parents receive a school newsletter, parents said they'd prefer more modern forms of communication, like a parent portal.

The survey also found:

• Parents want to be able to contact teachers outside of school hours. 70 per cent of respondents said they would find this useful, although many were wary of putting an extra burden on teachers.

• 70 per cent of parents wished their child’s teacher had spoken to them earlier about an issue their child was having.

• Parents also want to be involved in decisions about technology. 57 per cent of parents wanted to be consulted about when technology was introduced in schools and 64 per cent wanted schools to provide ongoing support.

The survey was conducted between September and December 2019.

In a Courier Mail report about the survey, APC President Jenni Rickard explained "parents are experts in their own child and had a lot of insights to offer – but particularly now after being the key ‘teacher’ implementing the school work.

“It has become really apparent that you don’t know what they are doing in classroom. Let’s use this as a lever to go forward.”