Research and case studies
The impact of parental involvement in children's education
Developing home-school relationships may not always be easy. Different pressures and circumstances mean many families will need special arrangements, or extra help, to enable them to become actively involved in their children's school lives. Many schools are already over-stretched, and spending time, money and resources on getting parents more involved may seem like a low priority.
This section of the Working with parents area shows why getting parents actively involved in their children's education should be a high priority, and how other schools and establishments have gone about it.
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This leaflet (1.8 Mb) draws on evidence from research to highlight the importance of involving parents in their children's education. The key findings are:
Overall, research has shown conclusively that parental involvement does make a difference to pupils' engagement and their achievement and the evidence indicates that parental involvement benefits students, parents, teachers and schools. This leaflet provides an insight into some of that evidence. This leaflet is available to order from Prolog by calling 0845 60 222 60 and quoting reference number DfES/0645/2003. |
Research — "Getting the balance right: towards partnership in assessing children's development and educational achievement" — A discussion paper by Professor Sheila Wolfendale.
The paper is divided into three sections and highlights the importance of learning at home as well as at school in the assessment for learning and equally valuing the contribution of parents as key partners in monitoring learning and reporting progress. The purposes of the paper are summarised thus:
- to describe recent thinking and developments in the area of reporting to and involving parents in assessment of their children's educational progress
- to relate develoments to broader contexts of Personalised Learning and Assessment for Learning
- to offer a partnership model of assessment
- to give research and practice examples
- to suggest an evidence-base from existing research and practice
- to outline values and principles in assessment partnership
- to propose an ethical assessment code of practice
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Case Study — Argyle Primary School "...For us, parental involvement doesn't just mean parents in the classroom. It's about enabling parents to support their children — encouraging them to see their own capacity to learn and so creating a vibrant community of learners." — Laura Wynne, Head Teacher. Find out more about Argyle Primary School. |
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Case Study — St. Ursula's Convent School Parental involvement means a lot at this school where one-to-one contact with both parents and pupils is seen as essential. The school's biggest innovation is the introduction of one-to-one meetings with senior management. Read more about St. Ursula's Convent School here. |
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Case Study — Therfield School “Something as fundamental as a school's vision statement is a great way of focusing minds on the fundamentals of what we're about. Involving parents in that first process helped to set the tone for how we would handle other initiatives we were planning — consulting parents and really taking on board what they had to say.” — Graham Tuck, Head Teacher Therfield School is a great example of innovation in involving parents for the betterment of the school. |
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Case Study — Brookside Primary School Brookside School held a Men's Health Awareness and Alternative Therapies morning for Parent/Carers and the local Community, providing a perfect opportunity for breaking down barriers; it was a fun way of getting men into the school in a non-threatening situation. Read more about the sessions at Brookside Primary School here. |
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Case Study — Parent Links, Thetford Parent Links is an effective Family/School partnership programme working to achieve wider and greater parental involvement in children's learning, thus supporting the raising of achievement, addressing social inclusion and promoting lifelong learning. Read more about Parent Links in Thetford here. |
Case Study — A Year in the Life of a Parent/Community Link
Teacher
In sharing in their child's education parents can further support their work in the home environment and by so doing improve their own learning. At St Peter's, the key element is the partnership with parents in all aspects of the school life, be it in Sports Day, Fun Day, Drama workshops or socially at the P.T.A. functions.
Read more about St Peter's School here
Case Study — CAMHS — a new approach in Luton
The issue of parental involvement in schools, and the emphasis on it, has wider implications for services, such as the family and parental support children need for their educational attainment, and how intricately their emotional and social well-being are tied in with this.
Read more about the On Track project.
