Ofsted’s publication, Schools and Parents, published in April 2011, reported on the outcomes of its visits to 47 primary, secondary and special schools and PRUs.
Its findings reinforced those of other research, and the report reaffirmed that:
“Parental engagement can be a powerful lever for raising achievement in schools and there is much research to show the value of schools and parents working together to support pupils’ learning.”
Ofsted’s key findings focused on:
- The varied ways in which schools work with parents and their varied effectiveness.
- Effective joint working between home and school leading to much better outcomes for pupils, especially those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
- The effectiveness of new technologies in enhancing home school communication.
- The value of parents councils or forums in enabling some (but not always all) parents to have a voice.
- The importance of schools using parental complaints as a means to improve their quality of provision.
- The value of parents being able to contribute to or initiate ideas for strategic improvement.
- The potential for schools to use parents’ skills, qualifications, experience and qualifications more effectively.
- The need for schools to evaluate the impact of their work with parents more effectively.
- The limited impact of home-school agreements on the day-to-day work between parents and schools.
These findings all ring true to the LPPA Team, and we are currently particularly interested in:
- supporting our schools to evaluate the impact of their work with parents more effectively;
- further harnessing the potential of the new technologies in enhancing home-school links;
- focussing on working with the parents of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND);
Where do your school’s current strengths and weakness lie, and what are your next priorities for action?
