English Bite — English for Parents: Talking to Your Child’s School
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English for Parents: Talking to Your Child’s School
Level: B1 · 5 minutes · Parents & Carers
💡 Today’s Idea
Parents who can communicate with their child’s school in English give their child a significant advantage. You don’t need perfect English — you need confident, clear communication.
📖 From My Experience
My daughter is very young — barely eighteen months as I write this. But I think about the day she starts school here in La Réunion, where instruction is in French, and eventually perhaps in an English-speaking context too. As an immigrant parent — and I know many — the school system can feel impenetrable. The language of education has its own vocabulary. Understanding it makes you a partner in your child’s learning, not a spectator.
📚 Key School Vocabulary & Phrases
- parent-teacher meeting — a meeting between parent and teacher to discuss progress
- progress report / report card — a written assessment of your child’s learning
- homework — schoolwork to do at home
- curriculum — what is taught at each level
- attendance — whether your child comes to school
- “She is making good progress” — she is improving
- “He finds [subject] challenging” — it’s difficult for him
✏️ Try It! (2 minutes)
Write a short note (3–4 sentences) to your child’s teacher explaining that your child will be absent tomorrow. Include: the reason, the date, and your contact details.
🎯 Quick Quiz
A teacher says “Your child is making good progress.” What does this mean?
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