Parents as Partners in Children’s Learning

The implementation of the Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement) Act 2006 has highlighted the role that parents play in ensuring that their children are successful learners who grow into confident adults able to take up their roles as citizens and contribute effectively to society.  These are the aspirations that all parents have for their children but change is not always easy to understand and there may be pressure for things to be ‘like it was when I was at school’.

This seminar will give examples of how schools are working with parents to share information about the Curriculum for Excellence and gain parents’ support for the changes. We will consider how homework might change to be the application of learning in children’s real life context rather than more school work carried out at home. It will explore how the skills and experiences of parents can be used to enhance and support children’s learning.

The seminar will explore the resources available to support this learning (e.g. the Toolkit and Making the Difference leaflets as well as examples from schools) and suggest ways in which schools might develop their own materials that will help parents be supported as partners in taking forward the new curriculum.

Celia Burn, Parental Involvement Co-ordinator, LTS.

Celia trained as a primary school teacher and taught for a number of years before developing a varied career in community education and in the voluntary childcare sector as a practitioner and manager. 

In the early 1970’s she worked in Liverpool and set up Home Link which provided a visiting service, drop in centre, toy and book library, food co-operative, ‘You and your child’ classes and adult education.  This project led to the development of a Liverpool wide initiative called PSP – Parent School Partnership – where parents were encouraged into schools to learn about their children’s education and also to learn themselves. 

She has had extensive experience of working with parents and schools and has also developed parent education materials at the Open University. Prior to taking up her post with Learning and Teaching Scotland, Celia was Regional Manager with the Sure Start Unit, part of the Department for Education and Skills in England, taking forward this major initiative across the 22 local authorities in the North West region. She joined LTS on 1st March 2005 as Parental Involvement Coordinator to take forward this agenda within LTS and with parents, local authorities and schools.  She has worked closely with SEED in developing materials to support parents and schools in taking forward the Act including the Toolkit and the ‘Making the Difference’ leaflets.  She has also organised and run workshops and events for parents and professionals across Scotland.