On the 17^th June, Teacher Support Network took part in the House of Commons Children Schools and Families Select Committee evidence session on Allegations Against Schools Staff. It was a very useful opportunity to highlight some of the important issues that arise from the growing amount of allegations made against teachers by pupils. Along with Amanda Brown from the NUT, Chris Keates from the NASUWT, Paul Kaufman, a partner at Wiseman Lee LLP and Michael Barnes from Falsely Accused Carers and Teachers (FACT), we spoke with the Chairman, Barry Sherman MP, and the rest of the committee about the length of time accusations take to be resolved, the ‘innocent until proven guilty’ mentality that dominates proceedings and the profound affect that false accusations can have on the health and wellbeing of teachers.

The session went well, with the committee showing genuine interest in the issues and sympathy for those involved. We provided assistance to many teachers over the last year who were experiencing allegations and were therefore able to speak authoritatively on the damage to wellbeing that the situation can cause teachers. Taking into consideration the experiences and views of all those whom we supported, including those going through the process of investigation and those returning to work from suspension of stress leave, we spent a significant amount of time preparing for the session; running through potential questions and shoring up our position on the details.

The session went well and we are looking forward to reading the committee’s report on the issue. Nevertheless, despite being able to harness the expertise of our advisors and policy team, as my first public appearance as chief executive of Teacher Support Network I was inevitably nervous beforehand. My keenness to communicate our message and give the right impression of our work was made even more pronounced by the occasion itself. Sat in the salubrious surroundings of a beautifully decorated room in the Palace of Westminster in the presence of such esteemed company as my colleagues from the world of education and representatives of the country’s legislature, it really felt like the pressure was on.

The pressure I felt before the committee hearing was similar to that experienced by many teachers, particularly NQTs, ahead of parents’ evening. It’s an issue that repeatedly comes up for many of the thousands who contact us over the course of the year. The nervousness that many feel before the event is rarely inspired by a lack of knowledge or expertise. Parents’ evenings involve conveying information that only teachers are in a position to understand and ideas that teachers should have every confidence in holding and voicing. Nevertheless, the format for parents evening is radically different from all other areas of teachers’ work. The parents themselves often operate in a very different field from education and can have an extremely different perception of the characteristics of their children, the responsibilities of teachers and the direction of the school.

During such occasions, it is important to remember that parents are probably more intimidated by the experience than teachers, who are the professionals. However nervous teachers are, they should try and maintain the initiative in conversation and focus on building confidence over their unique knowledge and guidance rather than the uncommon dynamic of the meeting. Body language is vital; standing up to greet the parents, maintaining eye contact and sitting up straight can all effect how well teachers come across.

Preparation is also important in coping successfully with parents’ evenings. It’s useful for teachers to think not only about what they indent to say to parents but also how they might say it. It can really to have examples of a pupils’ work in mind in order to help illustrate a point. We came to Westminster armed with real life examples of how false accusations were affecting teachers, which helped us make our point considerably. Just like elsewhere in our professions, it’s helpful to make sure that all positives are mentioned as well as the negatives in order to build a balanced picture of a pupils’ progress rather than risk seeming overly critical or, in the parents’ eyes, vindictive.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that teachers shouldn’t feel alone as parents’ evening approaches. It’s good to talk to colleagues about their experiences. Talking through what I was going to say with the team at Teacher Support Network proved vital to making sure we got the right message across and this logic extends to other professions, including teaching. NQTs or newly-arrived teachers in particular should make use of the knowledge and advice of other colleagues, whether it’s about the format, preparation or parents themselves.

As I experienced in Westminster recently, the prospect of unusual environments and conversations in your profession can be intimidating, however confident you are in your area of knowledge. Nevertheless, such nervousness can be overcome by preparing effectively, discussing the situation with colleagues, remembering the unique insight that your profession gives you and ensuring this come over during the meeting.