Parents as Partners in Learning

What can schools do?

Sharing information is a two-way process: what the school shares with parents and what parents share with schools. However, sharing information on its own may not be enough – it may need to be discussed so that it can be used to the mutual benefit of both.

1. Formal and informal approaches to sharing information

Schools that successfully manage to stay in touch with the views of their parents use a range of formal and informal approaches that are reviewed and updated regularly. These include:

phone calls
letters
e-mails
text messaging
newsletters
websites
parent information evenings
parent workshops
drop-in surgeries.

2. Encouraging parents to be in touch with the school

Parents appreciate a warm and genuine welcome to a school.

This can start at the entrance to the school and then at the school office.
Some schools have parents' rooms or hospitality rooms where parents can meet each other. Teachers can use these rooms to meet with a parent who has come to the school to discuss a problem or a concern.
Anxious parents need a combination of reassurance, clear information and a real sense of being listened to.

Most schools provide information in their handbooks about how and when to contact the school.

Saying that parents can be in touch at any time sounds very welcoming but can be difficult to sustain and can be frustrating for a parent who tries it and finds it doesn't work.
Clear guidance as to the best time to be in touch with the school and arrangements which make sure this is effective is probably more appropriate.

Parents may not be able to visit during the day because they are working or have other commitments but would still like to be able to speak to someone at the school.

In some schools headteachers or members of staff make themselves available to be contacted by phone (or in person) outwith school hours. For example, at one primary, the headteacher can be contacted every day from 8.15 - 8.45 a.m; in a secondary school the headteacher can be contacted every Thursday from 4.00 until 5.30 p.m.

Some schools are now encouraging parents to be in touch by e-mail.

Issues often arise in the evening when it is easier to send an e-mail and to check a day or so later for a response rather than to wait until the next day to try to phone while at work.
This allows the staff to respond to queries at a time suitable to them during a busy day.

3. Keeping in touch with parents about school life and events

There are many different ways for schools to pass on information about the school:

Letters to parents

Do you know how many actually reach parents? Schools have a range of ways of addressing this issue. 'If a letter is important enough then it is worth investing in the postage' according to one headteacher. 'If it goes in the school bag only 40 per cent will get passed on.'

Newsletters

These can provide information on a whole school basis, or a year group or even one class. A newsletter can contain different kinds of information, for example:

pupil and teacher stories of events they have taken part in
light-hearted and serious information
information about planned events
items from parents.

It is important that newsletters focus on things which interest parents and are designed with graphics and in parent-friendly language to encourage them to read them and to send a positive message about the school.

Flyers

Flyers with a few headings and key details can be useful as they can be stuck up in the kitchen to remind parents about events.

Websites

As more and more households have computers schools find having a website a good way of sharing information about the school and making known details of events, pupil interests and pupil successes. However, having the resources to keep it up to date is vital.

Texting

Where parents are willing to leave their mobile phone number it is possible to send them text messages. This can be used as reminders of events that they have said they will come to, or some schools are using this system to alert parents that their children have not arrived in school. Parents can also find texting a very convenient way of sending information to the school.

4. Sharing information with parents about the curriculum

Events such as information and curriculum evenings have a long tradition in schools. Some schools are now running workshops in which parents can participate in the classroom activities their children will do rather than merely listen. Schools have found that by asking parents what they are interested in and giving them a choice that attendance has increased.

5. Sharing information with parents specific to their child

School reports and parents' evenings are the most obvious formal ways in which schools pass on information about pupils. A separate package has been prepared for parents' evenings.

Parents value information on a regular basis. Some say they dread hearing from the school because it means 'bad news'. It is therefore important to communicate good news as well as dealing with problems.

Communicating good news

Some schools encourage teachers to make sure that at least one child in each class has a 'good news' message sent home each week. Different categories of 'good news' can be highlighted, for example the best speller, the fastest runner, the most polite pupil, and showing kindness.
Certificates and awards can be given which are both displayed in the school and can be taken home by the child.
The home-school diary can also be used to highlight achievements on a regular basis.

Communicating about problems

Most parents are more at ease hearing about problems when they know the school is willing to listen to them and help rather than blame them and also when they have heard some good news too.
The best means of informing parents about concerns – letter, phone call, home-school diary – will depend on the seriousness of the issue and what the school knows about the background circumstances.

6. Involving parents in school decisions

Schools are trying out ways of involving parents which goes beyond being an extra helping hand on school trips or at fundraising events.

Focus groups or working parties are ways of allowing parents to share ideas on improving practice. This could include, for example:

a review of letters and newsletters sent out from the school. What do they want to see in these documents? How can they be improved?
inviting views on what parents are interested in when arranging a curriculum evening or other information events
contributing to decision making for example in revising school policies, or the planning of parent-teacher meetings.

7. Putting things right when they go wrong

Difficult situations can arise when parents have concerns about their children or there has been a misunderstanding between the home and the school. Sometimes parents arrive at the school without a prior arrangement or raise a concern when they have been invited to attend for a special meeting, during a parents' evening or other organised event. There are some key questions for the school.

Does the school have a clear complaints system for parents and are all parents and staff aware of it?
Does the school have guidance for teachers on steps to take when situations arise which they feel they cannot handle?
Are there staff trained to manage conflict, with the skills to defuse tension?
Are there staff trained to support parents in distress?
Is there support for the children in the situation?

Clear procedures in place regarding how parents and the school should communicate and share concerns will ensure the school is well placed to manage difficult situations.

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