Our school runs a day where each kid comes in to discuss three targets for improvement with their form tutors. They only come in for a ten minute slot and their parents can come or not as they see fit. The usual rule is that if it's a parent who you don't need to talk to then they'll come, if the pupils usually a pain-in-the-neck expect them to come on their own.

Supposedly the pupils should come up with their own targets but it doesn't always work out quite like that with me hinting that perhaps their national curriculum level in maths is a bit low and maybe they'd like to make it a bit higher perhaps. And of course some parents have a habit of dictating proceedings.

The interesting part of the day was meeting the parents of my tutorlings. Who'd have thought that sweet little girl's mum would be a goth? No wonder that boy never talks, his mum nevers lets him get a word in edgeways. Did I ask to hear your life story? (No). I hope that guy doesn't crush the chair when he sits down. That mum is fit. Are you still here? No I don't know how lessons are differentiated in French. Are you sure it's that other boy's fault your son keeps getting into trouble in science?

By the end of the day I was in cruise control. I can't remember the last of my appointments. One of my pupils might have set a target to eat more rice for all I knew.