Most Australian and New Zealand schools run parent-teacher interviews in November, toward the end of Term 4.
This seems logical. The school year is almost finished. Teachers can give families a complete picture of how the year went. Parents can understand where their child ended up academically and socially.
But November conferences create predictable challenges that many schools struggle with year after year.
The November timing problem
By late November, families are not thinking about school. They are thinking about Christmas, summer holidays, and travel plans.
Booking rates drop. Attendance drops. Families who do attend are often distracted or rushed because they have shopping, parties, and end-of-year commitments.
Some families have already mentally checked out for the year. If the student is doing reasonably well, parents may not see the point of a November meeting about a year that is essentially over.
Teachers notice this. You can run conferences in Week 8 or 9 of Term 4 and feel like you are competing for attention against everything else happening in December.
Teacher exhaustion
Term 4 is the longest stretch for teachers. By November, they have been working solidly since late January or early February with only brief breaks.
Adding evening conferences in November means asking exhausted teachers to do extra work at their lowest energy point of the year.
The quality of conversations suffers. Teachers are tired. They may rush through appointments or lack the patience for difficult discussions. Parents can sense this.
Some schools schedule conferences in early December, which is even worse. Teachers are trying to finish reports, finalise grades, pack up classrooms, and attend end-of-year functions. Adding conferences on top creates an unsustainable workload.
The heat factor
In much of Australia, November and December are hot. If your school does not have good air conditioning, evening conferences can be physically uncomfortable.
Families with young children find it harder to attend. Sitting in a warm classroom for fifteen minutes while managing restless kids is not appealing.
Some schools in Queensland or northern New South Wales face this problem acutely. Late afternoon and evening temperatures can make conferences genuinely unpleasant.
This is a practical consideration that affects attendance and the overall experience.
What parents actually want to know
The purpose of parent-teacher interviews is to help families understand how their child is progressing and what support they might need.
In November, this information is retrospective. The year is over. If a student struggled with something in Term 3, there is limited time to address it before the long summer break.
Parents attending November conferences often feel like they are getting a summary rather than actionable information. The conversation is about what happened, not what comes next.
Some parents appreciate this closure. But many would prefer earlier conversations that allow time to intervene if there are concerns.
The case for Term 3 interviews
Many schools have shifted parent-teacher interviews to Term 3, typically in August or September.
This timing has several advantages:
Families are focused on school: There are no competing holiday distractions. Parents are in term-time mode and more likely to prioritise the meeting.
Teachers have energy: Term 3 is midway through the year. Teachers are not yet burned out and can give fuller attention to each conversation.
Information is actionable: If a teacher raises concerns in Term 3, families have a full term to address them before the year ends. There is time to adjust learning plans, arrange support, or modify approaches.
Weather is better: In southern states, August and September are cooler. Evening events are more comfortable.
Better attendance: Schools that have moved to Term 3 often report higher booking and attendance rates.
The main argument against Term 3 interviews is that teachers do not yet have a complete picture of the year. This is true. But most significant issues are visible by midyear, and early intervention is more useful than a November summary.
The case for Term 1 interviews
Some schools run parent-teacher interviews in Term 1, typically late February or March.
This seems counterintuitive. Teachers barely know the students yet. What is there to discuss?
But Term 1 interviews serve a different purpose. They are about goal-setting and establishing expectations rather than reviewing performance.
A Term 1 meeting might cover:
- How the student settled into the new year level
- Any concerns from the previous year that need attention
- Learning goals for the year
- How families can support at home
This forward-looking approach suits some school cultures, particularly primary schools where ongoing parent-teacher communication is already strong.
The challenge is that serious concerns may not be visible yet. A student who will struggle later in the year may seem fine in February.
Some schools address this by running both Term 1 check-ins and Term 3 interviews. This is resource-intensive but provides regular touchpoints throughout the year.
Hybrid approaches
A few schools use differentiated timing:
Junior school in Term 3, senior school (7-12) in Term 4: Younger students benefit more from actionable midyear feedback. Senior students and their families are more focused on final results.
Compulsory interviews in Term 3, optional follow-ups in Term 4: All families meet teachers midyear. Families who want a final conversation can book again in November.
Written reports in Term 4, interviews only by request or for students with concerns: This reduces the burden on teachers while still providing end-of-year information.
These approaches require more administrative coordination but can better match the purpose of interviews to the timing.
When schools cannot change timing
Some schools are locked into November conferences by tradition, parent expectations, or school policies.
If you cannot change when interviews happen, you can still make November conferences work better:
Schedule earlier in Term 4: Week 6 or 7 is better than Week 9. Families are less frantic, and teachers are slightly less exhausted.
Keep interviews short: Ten minutes is enough for most conversations. This reduces the total time commitment for teachers and families.
Offer alternative formats: Some families may prefer a phone call or written feedback rather than attending in person during a busy season.
Communicate the purpose clearly: If November interviews are about closure and celebration rather than intervention, frame them that way. Parents will have different expectations.
Provide strong air conditioning: If heat is a factor, make the environment as comfortable as possible. Offer water. Keep the building cool.
What about New Zealand schools
New Zealand schools face similar challenges, though the summer heat is generally less extreme than in Australia.
The December holiday period is still a distraction. Teacher fatigue is still real. The same arguments for Term 3 timing apply.
Some New Zealand schools tie parent-teacher interviews to student-led conferences, where students present their learning to families. This format works well in Term 3 when students have substantial work to share.
Testing different timing
If your school is considering moving interviews from Term 4 to Term 3, trial it for one year.
Track:
- Booking rates (what percentage of families schedule interviews)
- Attendance rates (what percentage actually show up)
- Teacher feedback about workload and conversation quality
- Parent feedback about usefulness
Compare these metrics to previous years. If Term 3 works better, make it permanent. If not, you have data to support staying with Term 4.
The real question
The underlying issue is what you want parent-teacher interviews to achieve.
- If the goal is to provide a final summary of the year, November makes sense despite the challenges.
- If the goal is to identify concerns early and give families time to respond, Term 3 is more logical.
- If the goal is to set expectations and establish relationships, Term 1 might work.
Most schools have not explicitly decided this. They run interviews in November because that is when they have always run them.
Asking what you actually want to accomplish can clarify whether the timing serves that purpose.
What works in your context
There is no universally correct answer.
A small rural school with high parent engagement might find Term 4 conferences work fine despite the challenges, while a large urban school with lower attendance might see significant improvement by moving to Term 3.
A school with a strong focus on student agency might prefer Term 1 goal-setting meetings. The best timing depends on your school culture, your families, and what you want interviews to accomplish.
But if you are running November conferences and struggling with attendance, teacher burnout, or the sense that families are distracted, consider whether different timing might serve everyone better.
