Several schools are meeting parents over coffee to discuss their children or any other issue.

Such informal conversations in smaller groups help to iron out differences between the parents and the schools before they can snowball into anything big, a principal said.

Instead of having a large audience and the principal speaking from a podium, such meetings are being organised with smaller groups in an “informal” and comfortable environment. In such sessions, parents feel more comfortable and can speak freely.

On Saturday, Sushila Birla Girls’ School, had the first such session with about 30-odd parents of Classes III, IV and V.

“This helps to strengthen the bond between the parents and the school. It is like an open door policy where we take down suggestions from parents and also try to explain to them the school’s point of view or stand,” said Koeli Dey, principal, Sushila Birla Girls’ School.

The school plans to replicate such sessions with other parents, too, in the coming months.

The Heritage School calls parents for such a meet twice a year.

South City International School, too, organises these coffee meetings with parents.

Such sessions provide parents with the platform to give their feedback on food served in the cafeteria or the toilets or any other issue, said Seema Sapru, principal of The Heritage School.

“We want feedback because the parents are our partners and we want to improve ourselves. This makes parents feel they are a part of the institution,” said Sapru.

In one of the meets, a group of parents raised a concern with the school authorities that the material of the school uniform is uncomfortable for students to wear.

The school has asked parents for suggestions and the principal has communicated the parents’ concerns to the school management.

At Sushila Birla, on Saturday, the junior school parents asked for sessions on body shaming and anger management for their children.

The school, in turn, told parents to teach their children to be more accepting of differences, to encourage them to participate in sports and that fathers should share the responsibility of girls equally.

Dey said that the meeting is a dialogue between us and them and not a one-sided monologue.

“Such sessions are the need of the hour because the school cannot independently raise the child. Parents have to be aligned with the vision of the school. When they have access to the school they learn to appreciate what teachers are doing for the children,” said Satabdi Bhattacharjee, principal, South City International School.

Bhattacharjee said that access helps in creating trust for the school among parents. “In case there is any problem there would be parents who would suggest to other parents that approaching the school authorities to resolve a situation is an option that is available to them.”