When Riverside Primary School invited parents to workshops on Curriculum for Excellence, it was an eye-opening experience for all involved. Teachers forged stronger relationships with parents and saw the curriculum in a new light. Parents discovered how education has progressed since their school days. Pupils gained a deeper understanding of how their learning is planned. 'My dad said he would have liked school more if he could have learned like we do,' said one child.
At Riverside, involving parents in the school community is no new thing. As a large, complex school incorporating a nursery, Gaelic classes, a language and communication facility for children on the autism spectrum and an extended learning support facility, it has long maintained a strong commitment to extending learning in the home.
Parental involvement works best when children are involved
In 2006, staff at Riverside reviewed the ways that parents could participate in school life, and seven parent-led interest groups were established. The school also enjoys the support of an enthusiastic Parent Council that meets regularly to discuss the contribution of these groups.
From these experiences, Riverside has discovered that parental involvement works best when the children are involved, sessions are informal but well organised and the events are fun. Staff and parents also find that short, focused events are most effective. With this in mind, they set about establishing a series of workshops to introduce parents to the principles of Curriculum for Excellence.
Parents can see how education is changing
With its annual open evening and regular parent workshops already being popular and well established, Riverside decided these existing events were an ideal opportunity to explore the new curriculum with parents. 'It was a great opportunity to let parents see how much approaches to learning and teaching are changing and to help them understand why there is less evidence in jotters,' says one teacher.
For the open evening, pupils and teachers created displays of children’s work that illustrated the principles of Curriculum for Excellence. Pupils were on hand on the night to engage parents and discuss how their learning was reflected in the new curriculum. An information sheet was developed to support this. For their part, staff gave a series of talks covering key topics such as active learning, talking and listening, meeting the needs of every child and health and wellbeing.
'I really liked having mum in the classroom'
Parent workshops were of a more focused nature, incorporating a 30-minute introductory talk by staff, which gave parents the opportunity to have their questions answered. The group discussed the teacher’s role in facilitating learning, the importance of developing skills for life, plus learning techniques such as active learning and deep questioning. The session also provided context to what parents were about to see in a tour of the classroom.
The classroom tour was very effective, with interactive learning activities organised for parents and children to take part in. The classroom was a hive of activity as everyone rolled their sleeves up and pupils took the lead in explaining the key learning outcomes. Challenges such as a maths game, poster design project and storytelling session kept everyone entertained and brought the new approaches to learning and teaching to life for parents.
'It was great to see what she has been doing in class,' said one parent. 'It’s clear to see why she has become a much more confident child. I would love to come to more workshops and see how she is developing.'
The events also got a big thumbs up from the pupils. 'I really liked having my mum in the classroom again,' said one child. 'She could see what I was learning.'
Keep up to date