Home - School Partnerships

1. Home - School Partnerships Emma Morley May 2010

2. If you were the parent… If you were to visit a teacher as a parent…what qualities would you hope the teacher would portray in their professional role?

3. The importance of this relationship is recognised by government • Children benefit most when their home lives and school lives establish similar values and expectations for their learning; behaviour and well being. • Much has been achieved in recent years to ensure that parents are fully informed about and seriously involved in many aspects of school life. (Executive summary and recommendations on the Review of the Primary Curriculum p17, 2009)

4. Remember…… Parents are a child’s first and most enduring educators. They are the prime educators until the child enters an early years setting or starts school, and they remain a major influence on aspirations, attitudes to learning and achievements throughout their child’ school life and beyond. DfES (2004) Primary National Strategy, Parents: Partners in Learning, Guidance for Schools, Norwich: HMSO

5. What Do Parents Bring To The Partnership? Parents contribute life experience as well as accumulating knowledge of their own child’s (or children’s) development and individual characteristics and have the advantage of experiencing minute by minute child contact in a variety of situations. They too can appraise their child’s responsiveness; they can make predictions as to outcomes and make a match between what the child needs… with whatever resources and support the home has to offer. ( Topping and Wolfendale cited in Dean J 2001)

6. What Do Teachers Bring To The Partnership? Teachers bring knowledge of child development and theories of learning and teaching and have the advantage of an accumulating store of professional wisdom as the backcloth to their practice. They can appreciate differences in learning receptivity, rate of learning etc. and can match each child’s learning needs to the provision on offer. (Topping and Wolfendale cited in Dean J 2001 )

7. Why is the Partnership Important? ‘the informal education that takes place in the family is not merely a pleasant prelude, but rather a powerful prerequisite for success in formal education from the primary grades onward’. Bronfenbrenner, U

8. Parent Partnerships A good school will forge effective partnerships with parents, with other schools and early years settings and with individuals and groups in the community to strengthen pupils’ learning and improve its management. OfSTED (2003) Handbook for inspecting nursery and primary schools,p7 in DfES (2004) The Primary National Strategy, Parents: Partners in Learning, Norwich:HMSO

9. Schools support home learning in a variety of ways: • Pre-school visits • Home visits • Parent workshops • Home - school diary • Family Events - Sports Day • Parents’ Evenings • Assemblies • PTA • Parent helpers • Grandparents’ Day • Meetings and discussions • Newsletters (Home- school Agreements)

10. It’s the day-to day that really counts……… ‘Parents are much more likely to be in contact with teachers informally as they accompany young children to and from nursery settings and primary schools than at any other stage of education. The review has observed numerous examples of parents and teachers engaged in informal dialogue about children at these times [accompanying children to and from school] which no doubt makes it easier for parents to engage in meetings planned by the school to discuss children’s progress in greater detail’ (Executive summary and recommendations on the Review of the Primary Curriculum p17, 2009)

11. Questions To Ask Yourself When Dealing With Parents Do I know all the parents of the children in my class by name? When I discuss each child with his or her parents do I discuss behaviour as well as academic and other progress? Do I listen to what parents can tell me about their children as well as telling them what I have discovered? Do I try to avoid jargon and explain the terms we are using in school? Am I ever too defensive about what I am doing?

12. Cont. Do I keep parents informed about the work we are doing in class? Do I explain to the parents the way we are trying to teach the children? Do I make positive suggestions about ways in which parents can help their children in various aspects of the curriculum? Am I making use of any particular skills and knowledge among my parents? Am I making use of parents in the classroom?

13. Case Study 1- Sam • Current Situation • Background • Behaviour Contract • Individual Behaviour Chart/ Reward Time • Set of face cards and anger rules for lesson time • Postcards sent home as appropriate • Fortnightly chat with mum ( in person or on phone)

14. Case Study 2 - Hayley • Current Situation • Background • Individual Reward Chart set up with Mum • Daily 2 * and a wish card completed initially with class teacher and then independently

15. Case Study 3 - Tom • Current Situation • Background • After meeting with parents and SENCO, Tom provided with sets of cards to help him during lesson time e.g. please slow down you are telling me too many things at once • Individual ‘Lesson Success’ card ( lunch time pass) • Toilet card • H/S book ( daily contact moving to weekly and then fortnightly)

16. Dealing with parents is not always an easy task…… ‘I sent out twenty-nine reports last week. Only four had parents comments on them when they were returned.’

17. Parental Perspective ‘I got his report the other day, I didn’t write anything on it, well you don’t like to , do you. When you know you can’t spell very well and were hopeless at school and you know a teacher is going to read it .’

18. Parental Perspective School and Teacher perceived as non-caring/ not interested Anti-parental attitude amongst some staff Power with the teachers Parental life challenges and personal educational experiences

19. Further Information/ Bibliography http://www.teachers.tv/video/3237 http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/primarycurriculumreview/