Skip to main content
ForEvent ManagersAdministrators

Student-Led Conferences

A student-led conference event is similar to a parent-teacher conference, except that the student is the one running the meeting. Caregivers and staff sit in while the student walks them through their work, sets goals, and reflects on their learning. The booking flow is otherwise the same as parent-teacher conferencing, so families can book a time with the staff member their child is presenting to.

This guide focuses on how a student-led conference event differs from a regular parent-teacher conference; set-up is broadly the same.

When to use student-led conferences​

Student-led conferences work well when:

  • Your school is moving from teacher-led reporting to a student voice approach
  • You want students to take ownership of their learning conversations
  • Year levels run portfolio reviews where the student is expected to present their work

For more traditional teacher-driven discussions, use the parent-teacher conferences event type instead. The two event types share the same booking system and reports, so families do not see anything different other than the wording on the booking page.

Step 1: Create your event​

ForEvent ManagersAdministrators

Sign in to Schoolea and select Start an Event from the Events menu.

  1. Choose Student-Led Conferencing as your event type
  2. Fill in the basic details:
    • Event name - For example, "Term 3 Student-Led Conferences"
    • Description - Information for caregivers about what to expect, including the student's role in the meeting
    • Booking open / close dates - When caregivers can start and stop making bookings
    • Booking length - The time you want each student to have. Student-led conferences are often longer than traditional parent-teacher interviews because the student is presenting work, so consider 15 to 30 minute slots rather than the usual 5 to 10 minutes

Once your event has been created, you can:

Differences from parent-teacher conferencing​

Student-led conferences share the same setup screens as parent-teacher conferences, with two notable differences:

  • No "bookings linked to a student" requirement - The booking is implicitly tied to the student presenting, so the option to require caregivers to pick a student per booking is not shown for this event type. If you want caregivers to identify a specific child, add a question to the registration or booking form instead.
  • Booking page wording - The event portal refers to "staff members" rather than "teachers" on the booking page. The change is small but it sets the tone that the student is leading the meeting and the staff member is acting as a witness or facilitator rather than driving the conversation.

Everything else, including reports, statistics, reminders, and feedback, behaves the same as a parent-teacher conferencing event.

Step 2: Publish and share your event​

Once you have configured everything:

  1. Change your event from Draft to Private (or Public)
  2. Share the event with caregivers by:
    • Sending them the event code or link to your event website
    • Including a note in your invitation about the student-led format so caregivers know what to expect

Caregivers will visit your event website, enter the code if private, register, and book their times.

Step 3: Manage bookings​

As bookings come in:

  • Staff can sign in to view their bookings and prepare alongside the student in the lead-up to the event
  • Event managers can view reports and statistics
  • Caregivers can view their timetable and make changes if needed

Step 4: Run the event​

On the day or evening of your conferences:

  • Encourage students to bring their portfolio, work samples, or any other artefacts they want to present
  • Staff can use the My Day console to follow their schedule, take notes during the conversation, and record outcomes for each booking
  • For online conferences, the meeting room is built into the timetable, so students and caregivers do not need a separate join link

Step 5: Follow up​

After the event concludes:

  • Review attendance and booking statistics
  • Send feedback forms to caregivers if you want to capture their reflections on the student-led format

Tips for successful student-led conferences​

  • Give students preparation time. A successful student-led conference depends on the student being ready to talk through their work. Build classroom time into the run-up so students can rehearse what they want to share
  • Use longer booking slots. Student-led conferences typically need more time than a traditional five or ten minute interview, especially the first time you run them
  • Set caregivers' expectations. A short note in the description or registration confirmation email explaining the student-led format helps caregivers turn up ready to listen rather than expecting a teacher report
  • Capture feedback. Use the feedback form to ask caregivers what worked well and what they would like to see next time