Parents as Partners in Learning

Barriers to involvement

Time

Parents are busy people. They might:

Be working either full-time or part-time
Be bringing up young children on their own
Have children attending different schools.

Family circumstances

Families come in all shapes and sizes and have different needs. Parents may find it particularly difficult to attend meetings if they:

Have a child who is disabled
Have a baby or other caring responsibilities
Work shifts or work away from home
Have a complex family structure: they might be separated from their partner; some might have new partners.

Geography

The area parents live in can be a significant factor in how much they are involved in school-based activities. Some barriers to their involvement include:

Parents and pupils having to travel some distance to the school and having difficulty with transport or having to walk through unsafe areas
Situations where children are being educated some distance from their home and live in a hostel.

Lack of confidence

Parents may feel uncomfortable in school surroundings for a number of reasons:

It may bring back unpleasant memories of their own school days.
Some may feel that their own lack of knowledge or skills puts them at a disadvantage.
Some parents may have difficulty themselves with reading or writing.
Parents may feel that there is no place for them in the school or that the school is not welcoming.
Some men may feel out of place and that they don't have a role because many activities held during the day are mainly attended by women.

Unfamiliarity

Many parents feel that membership of a formal parent body is 'not for them'. They may perceive them as 'closed', 'cliquey', 'elitist' or 'formal', or not see themselves as the right kind of person to be involved. These perceptions can be a real barrier to parents putting themselves forward.

Files

Example - monthly drop-in surgeries for parents

A secondary school in Aberdeen has introduced drop-in surgeries which are held on a monthly basis. The headteacher is available for a number of hours during an evening or a Saturday morning. Parents can drop in to the school to speak to the headteacher without having to make an appointment. If a problem or query crops up parents know that they will have an opportunity to take it up imminently. This enables them to overcome issues as soon as they occur. The flexibility makes it easier for working parents or parents with other commitments or childcare issues to attend at convenient times.