First-grade parent questionnaire
The form a teacher uses to meet the class before the first lesson: what each child can already do, what they enjoy, what matters about their wellbeing and who collects them after school.
Who it is for and when to run it
A first-grade teacher usually sends this out a week or two before term starts, or hands it out at the first parents’ evening. The class list exists, but the teacher has not met a single child yet. Paper forms take a week to come back in school bags; a link in the class group chat brings the answers into one table before day one.
It also works for a new class teacher taking over a class mid-way through school, or for a child who transfers in the middle of the year. In that case drop the school-readiness question and keep the parts about personality and contact details.
One parent answers for one child. Twins get two forms: what they can do and what they are like will differ anyway.
What the template is made of
Every block in the order it sits in the builder. Branching decides which of them a given person actually sees.
- Let's get to know each other Text block
The opening screen says who reads the answers and how long the form takes. Parents write more openly about their child when they know only the teacher will see it.
- About your child Section break
The «About your child» section separates questions about the pupil from questions about the family. In a longer form it tells people where they are and how much is left.
- Child's first and last name Short answer
The child’s full name is required. Without it you cannot match the answer to a pupil when the parent has a different surname.
- Child's date of birth Date
Date of birth shows the youngest children in the class at a glance. A child who has just turned six and one who is nearly eight need a different pace in September.
- How did your child prepare for school? Single choice
Four options for school readiness (kindergarten, readiness classes, both, at home) give the teacher a picture of the whole class in a minute.
- What can your child already do? Multiple choice
Skills are ticked from a list: reads syllable by syllable or whole words, writes in block letters, counts to 20 or to 100. «None of these yet» spares parents the awkwardness of skipping the question.
- What does your child like doing? Multiple choice
Hobbies tell the teacher what to build on in lessons: building sets, books, sport. Cartoons and tablet games are listed honestly, otherwise nobody would admit to them.
- What should the teacher know about your child's wellbeing? Long answer
An open question on wellbeing with a hint: can’t see from the back rows, allergies, tires quickly. The hint sets the level of detail. The teacher needs seating and routine, not diagnoses.
- What is your child like? What helps them settle into a new place? Long answer
Personality and what helps the child settle, in the parent’s own words. This is how a teacher learns whom not to call to the board in week one.
- Family and contact Section break
The «Family and contact» section switches from the child to the adults. Contact details come last, once the parent is engaged and sees why they are needed.
- What should we call you? Short answer
How to address the parent, so the teacher does not mix people up in the class chat.
- Contact phone Phone
A required phone number: the one channel that works when a child feels ill in class.
- Who usually picks your child up from school? Single choice
Who picks the child up: a parent, a grandparent, a nanny, after-school care or nobody because they walk home. The teacher needs this on the very first day at the school gate.
- How could you help the class? Multiple choice
Ways to help the class (trips, celebrations, practical jobs, the parents’ committee) are ticked from a list. The teacher sees the future volunteers without asking for raised hands.
- What worries you most about first grade? Long answer
What worries parents most about first grade. Recurring worries become the agenda for the first parents’ meeting.
- Consent to personal data processing Consent
Consent to processing the parent’s and child’s data. The form collects a name, a date of birth and a phone number, so this block is required and sits at the end.
How to adapt the template
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For an older class, delete «How did your child prepare for school?» and rewrite the options in «What can your child already do?» for that age.
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Keep the wellbeing question optional (it already is) and do not turn it into a medical record. The school nurse has her own paperwork for health details.
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Tailor «Who usually picks your child up from school?» to your school: remove after-school care if there is none, add the school bus if children use it.
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Need the time the child goes home? Add a Time question right after the pick-up question.
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For a second parent you can duplicate the name and phone blocks. Make the copies optional so the form does not grow for everyone.
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Send the link to the class chat and show a QR code on a slide at the first meeting, so parents who never read the chat still reply.
How to read the results
Start with the chart for «What can your child already do?». How many children already read whole words, and how many do not read yet, sets the pace for the first reading lessons. You see it on the question chart without exporting anything.
Read wellbeing, personality and worries one by one, not as a summary. Export to CSV and sort by the child’s surname: you get a sheet worth keeping at hand for the first month.
Check the pick-up question before the first week: how many children walk home alone and how many stay for after-school care. The «help the class» answers give you a shortlist for the parents’ committee.
Group the open answers about worries by theme. If many parents raise the same thing, cover it at the meeting for everyone instead of replying one by one.
Common mistakes
- Asking about income, housing or where parents work. None of it helps a teacher get to know a class, and parents abandon forms that ask.
- Making every field required. A parent unsure whether the child counts to 100 will guess, and the skills summary becomes noise.
- Collecting a child’s name and date of birth without a consent block.
- Sharing individual answers with the whole parent chat. Talk about the skills picture at the meeting, but anonymised.
Questions about the «First-grade parent questionnaire» template
What should I ask first-grade parents at the start of the year?
About the child: how they prepared for school, what they can already do, what they enjoy, anything the teacher should know about wellbeing and personality. About the family: how to address the parent, a phone number, who picks the child up, how they could help the class and what worries them.
When should I send the parent questionnaire?
Before the first day of school or at the first parents’ meeting. The teacher then meets the class through the answers before the first lesson. Share the link in the class chat and show a QR code at the meeting for parents who do not read the chat.
Do I need parental consent for this form?
Yes. The form collects the child’s name and date of birth and a parent’s phone number, so the template ends with a required consent block linked to a privacy policy. Link it to your school’s own policy before publishing.
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Do not start from an empty canvas
Open the catalog, take the closest template and rewrite the questions for your job. Five minutes instead of an hour.