With periods of remote learning in the last two years, parents have had more engagement, involvement and investment in their children’s education than ever before.
Schools can capitalise on increased parental participation and learn, through Parentkind’s CPD-accredited training workshops and masterclasses, how to harness the power of parental participation to support a wealth of benefits within their school community, from a parent perspective.
The power of parents
Everyone invested in young people’s learning wants the same thing: enriching educational experiences and the best possible attainment, opportunities and future outcomes.
We all know that schools and learners can face barriers in their pursuit to fulfil potential. This makes it all the more imperative for schools to mobilise all resources that will positively influence and benefit young people.
Those in a parenting role are one of the most powerful resources but they are often not fully understood or appreciated and remain underutilised.
The value of parental participation in education has been known for some time.
In a 2008 study, Professor John Hattie noted that “the effect of parental engagement over a student’s school career is equivalent to adding two or three years to that student’s education”.
In 2011 Ofsted reported “in the best cases seen, joint working between the home and the school led to much better outcomes for pupils”.
And in 2017 The Social Mobility Commission noted “the more involved the parents were in their children’s school life (including volunteering in school, participating in Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) conferences, and teaching at home) the more positive the impact became on children’s performance academically”.
Strong partnerships between school and home have a really beneficial impact on school life and when parents are involved in children’s learning there is a well-evidenced link with improved educational outcomes across a range of measures.
Furthermore, there are many wider benefits to parental participation for schools, including building trust, developing a shared ethos, raising aspiration, increasing staff retention and widening access to out of school activities, business and employers.
The increased involvement of parents during the remote learning periods has awoken many to greater participation in school life.
Now that parents are more informed about, and aware of, their child’s school and learning, many are more-invested and want more of a say.
Parentkind’s Annual Parent Surveys ask parents for their opinions and attitudes towards their children’s school and education which gives a yearly snapshot of the parent perspective.
Parentkind’s Parent Voice Report 2021 made it clear that there continues to be a gap between parents’ desire to have a say in their child’s education and the extent to which they feel listened to.
Seventy-two per cent want to have a say at school level but 57% don’t feel listened to, and only 54% agree their child’s school acts on feedback.
We know that parent participation can deliver significant benefits and we know that parents want to engage, get involved and have their voices and views heard, but this is often not happening in a comprehensive way.
Parentkind’s training can help your school to change this.
For schools, knowing how to engage parents, support and build relationships, apply effective methods and maximise the opportunities for parental participation will require commitment, knowledge, skills, resources and time.
A blueprint for parent-friendly schools
Parents and teachers told us that a workable model was needed and so Parentkind commissioned extensive research into how schools can embed parental participation.
This led to the design of the Blueprint for Parent-Friendly Schools – an evidence-based foundation for school leaders to maximise and build upon parents’ contributions to create positive partnerships with parents for the benefit of all children.
Although there are barriers to parental participation for both parents and teachers – such as lack of time, low aspiration, disengagement, language and education barriers – the Blueprint provides a whole-school approach and a solution.
Built on five Key Drivers, reinforced with three guiding principles and a shared common language, the Blueprint supports the overcoming of challenges and formalises parental participation with a clear, sustainable and effective framework for action.
Workshops and masterclasses
Understanding these barriers, as well as building the methods and solutions to overcome them, is what Parentkind’s workshops and masterclasses have been built to address.
Parentkind’s two-hour, expert-led introductory ‘Overcoming Barriers from a Parent Perspective’ workshop takes place over Zoom and introduces delegates to Parentkind’s innovative Blueprint, allowing a unique opportunity to discuss existing barriers with experts and other educators.
Our four-hour masterclasses are a deep dive into various areas including a Whole-School Approach and Successful Parent Consultation, using evidence-based research to help you understand the steps required to increase participation with parents with specific solutions.
Register to learn more, create a plan to implement your school’s parental participation strategy and reap the future benefits of an increasingly invested parent community.
Take advantage of our 10% early bird discount when you book a course six weeks in advance. Book now! Or contact us on schools@parentkind.org.uk to schedule a free discovery call.
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