So often when we talk about engagement in schools, we look solely within the four (heavily displayed) walls of our classrooms. Parental engagement, however, is integral to children’s wellness and in them making sustained progress.
Research shows that family engagement improves student achievement, reduces absenteeism, and restores parents’ confidence in their children’s education. Students with actively engaged parents achieve more highly, have better social skills, and show improved behaviour
So the question is, what are the best ways to engage parents? Well, we have to address what the barriers parents/carers have:
- Time
- Poor communication from school
- Confidence
- Negative own school experience
- Language barrier
There is some great practice happening in schools if only we’d share it more freely. One school I’ve seen had “Speed Learning” sessions for parents, which was much like Speed Dating, only each table was a different element of their taught curriculum. Also, organisations such as @parent_tutor run parent tutoring to empower parents/carers to tutor their own children by learning how subjects are taught in schools from teachers. Imagine a world where every parent was actively engaged in their children’s learning – let’s work towards that goal! Share your practice.
Click here to see this article freely in Issue 45 of the UKEdChat Magazine
@smwordlaw Assistant Head of School – Croydon
You need to Login or Register to bookmark/favorite this content.
Be the first to comment