Schools need to develop strategies to make parents feel included and of value to the learning community

Schools need to recognise how partnerships can benefit pupils and the wider community, both collectively and individually

Strategies need to be developed to encourage children, just as much as parents, to initiate and/or facilitate their parents’ involvement in their education

There is a need to recognise that there may be issues other than children’s educational interests at stake: they must be balanced with their social interests

Children and young people can be just as active in discouraging, evading and obstructing their parents’ involvement in their education as they can in its promotion

Schools need to recognise the barriers to involvement from some parents, e.g. work commitments, poor skills in written and spoken English, family commitments, negative experiences as pupils themselves.

Ensuring a climate for learning    

Keeping a watchful eye on things      

Staying in touch with the school   

Making learning and schoolwork a family business

Phone calls, E mail and hotlines           

School, websites, Q and A and help rooms    

Informal evenings

Parent conferences and workshops     

Open days/open classes       

Class shadowing      

Parent-teacher meetings           

Home visiting  

Ensure that the opportunities provided by meetings to review the progress of individual pupils and written reports are used to include practical ideas, tailored to individual children’s needs            

Run workshops to encourage regular practical involvement and support in key areas e.g. maths, science and literacy

Ensure that the school’s homework and family learning policies are based on the combined efforts of teachers, parents and pupils

Ensure discussion time and in-service training for teachers in the handling of parent-school communication          

Keep a record of any initiative, together with the feedback obtained from all parties involved

Parents in the classroom - helpers, job talks, classroom talks, library helpers           

Special Interest - supporting Young Enterprise groups, assisting with debates, public speaking            

Helping at school events - invigilating, supervision at school discos, school concerts            

Helping around the school - school grounds improvement groups, garden committee            

Helping children to make choices - involvement in subject choice procedures and guidance interviews

Involvement in supporting homework and home study         

Reading schemes/home-school link books

 Improve informal communication by allowing and encouraging community involvement, giving more open access to the school  and therefore incidental familiarity with what goes on        

Communicate with the whole local community about school affairs  make school the focus of local interest: 

• Posters in local shops, churches and health centres

• Announcements in the local paper