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PARENTAL ENGAGEMENT


time-consuming project, but like parental engagement, once you have a strategy in place and the tools to support it, it can be very straightforward to achieve.


Putting business into education A small business might not feel it has much to offer its local school beyond providing the funds for some new computers, or a bench for the playground. But if schools engage positively and regularly with businesses and create a list of specific requests for help, they are likely to receive much more meaningful support. Some schools are starting to look to local


businesses, for example accountancy firms or solicitors’ practices, to offer work experience placements for pupils, provide guest speakers in assembly or hold careers workshops. And there are plenty of creative ways to make these events work for both sides. At one school, a local entrepreneur hosted a


‘Dragons Den’ style event where groups of pupils pitched their innovations. The business built some positive relationships with the school, and pupils gained some new business skills along the way.


Preparation for the workplace In fact, schools with good local business connections could find they have the ideal training ground to prepare pupils for employment. This would be a particularly valuable way to encourage businesses to share their expertise, because many young people seeking jobs have no experience of how to sell themselves through the application process, and little knowledge about what employers look for from their new starters. By inviting a whole range of local businesses,


from shops to hair salons; car dealers to restaurants, schools can enlist the help of employers to show young people what a good CV looks like, take part in interview role-plays and give them an insight into the world of work.


More than just raffle prizes Most schools are used to approaching local businesses to ask them to donate items for the


Christmas raffle, or to sponsor the summer fayre, but real community engagement goes much further than this. It starts with the creation of a dialogue, where


schools share news and information about the great things they are doing, perhaps with short messages sent throughout the year. This is the perfect way to tap into the


enormous potential for local organisations to provide an extra dimension to a child’s learning, alongside the traditional school subjects, or to extend pupils in subjects they particularly enjoy. Some schools use community engagement to build connections with local art societies for instance, to enable pupils to experiment with artistic media that there is not time to explore at school. Similarly, not every pupil looks forward to PE or


games lessons, but how about a school forging connections with a local gym? Some regular sessions with a personal trainer could provide the incentive for a young person to get more active,


eat healthier food and decide that sport might be for them after all.


Working better together Community charities are often keen to raise their profile, and the opportunity to work alongside schools in fundraising projects and local events not only benefits the charity and its cause, but teaches children the importance of helping others. But rather than limiting these collaborations to


one-off fundraisers, schools could engage with charities through regular communications and get involved with longer term projects, creating a garden for elderly residents for instance, where the pupils get to see the results of their hard work.


Getting the message across But could the community help schools promote the wellbeing of their pupils too? With concerns about mental health, online safety and cyber bullying frequently hitting the headlines, tackling these issues has become a priority. But schools don’t always have the time to devote to really get to the heart of these problems. That’s where the local police force and health


organisations could help, particularly if the school has already built up a rapport with them. If a police officer talks to a group of Year 8s


about the pitfalls of social media and possible consequences, pupils are more likely to sit up and take notice. A teenager dealing with the stress of difficulties at home, or exam pressure may be more likely to open up to a representative from mental health charity, than a teacher at school. Although, community engagement will be


different for every school, whether a school is small or large, rural or urban, it’s likely there are organisations which can play an important part in supporting a school’s teaching, learning and pastoral care. The constant pressure on schools shows no


sign of abating, so it’s essential that community engagement reduces a school’s work load rather than adding to it. However, extending the use of parental engagement technology into community engagement could open up new opportunities for everyone involved.


February 2019 www.education-today.co.uk 37


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