FEATURE: PARENTAL ENGAGEMENT
One solution for schools and Trusts could be to provide more self-service data. For instance, with full integration between a school’s MIS and engagement app, there is no reason why parents cannot have access to their child’s data from certain grade sheets along with the mean average of the class, for instance, or a plot of attainment over time. They can then grill their child over the dinner table or take possession of their child’s PS5 to their hearts’ content!
has grown significantly across the board. Research from the EEF found children in England struggled with their emotional wellbeing, as well as their ability to learn language and numeracy skills, after starting in reception classes following the earlier spring 2021 lockdown. These challenges are compounded by the cost of living crisis which is putting education at risk because of the struggle to fund schools effectively.
The benefits of involving parents in their child’s academic journey
However, as hinted to, there is a wealth of evidence showing high parental engagement can help combat these external factors and improve the life chances of children.
Within any school community, there is a spectrum of how involved and engaged parents are in their children’s education. From those who are heavily engaged at home and at school, to those who show little or no engagement in either setting – and of course, this cuts across socio- economic groups: it is not necessarily stereotypically defined.
High parental engagement – where parents are involved in supporting their children’s academic journey from primary to secondary school – has been found to help reduce absenteeism, improve student confidence, grades, social skills, and behaviours, and builds strong community links. Indeed, parental involvement is a more powerful force than other socio-economic factors like social class, family size and level of parental education. This is backed by strong evidence and, importantly, is one of the cheapest measures to implement – so it fits well in the current economic climate.
The barriers to parental engagement Clearly the need for greater parent-school engagement is more crucial than ever to unlock the best educational outcomes for students. Yet according to our research, 65% of primary and secondary school parents feel they are either ‘not well informed’ or ‘only informed at key points’ about their child’s academic progress. The research does reveal a clear primary- secondary school disparity when it comes to parent satisfaction with engagement. A larger proportion of parents of secondary school children feel poorly informed about their child’s academic progress – a 6 percentage point difference between the two. And half felt they were only informed at key points in their child’s studies, such as during their GCSEs. Out of the 60% of parents who are satisfied with the school’s communication, 44% of
February 2023
primary school parents are ‘very satisfied’, compared to only 28% in secondary school. And secondary school parents are 80% more likely to not be satisfied with their child’s school’s effort to engage with them than primary school parents. Typically, parental engagement strategies are usually more effective with parents or guardians of very young children, who are often more involved in their schooling by its very nature. However, it is important for schools to consider how to maintain parental engagement as children get older – for example, providing flexible communications, such as short online video sessions, might create opportunities for parents of older pupils to engage with the school.
Technology’s role in supporting school- parent engagement
The research points towards a potential solution, highlighting the critical role technology plays in improving parental engagement. Parents of primary and secondary school children are 2.5 times more likely to be satisfied with efforts to engage with them if schools use an app to communicate. And 90% of the parents who reported being very satisfied with how their school engages with them agreed their school is making the best use of communication technology. While this doesn’t prove the causation, it is strongly suggestive that making good use of technology helps to communicate with and engage parents.
Further, the overwhelming majority (88%) of parents who say they have a great relationship with their child’s teacher also think the school makes the best use of technology, compared with only 11% for those who say they have a poor relationship.
Practical solutions to improving parental engagement
However, the big challenge for schools and Trusts is the fragmented nature of applications that don’t talk to each other. Teachers and parents need one centralised platform from which they can manage all communications in real-time. And one that either integrates with other providers or incorporates modules which allow schools to provide a one-stop shop for parents wanting to interact with the school – from communications, newsletters and accessing reports, to paying for school uniform and lunches.
This will give teachers more capacity to relay critical information to parents to create actionable insights. In turn, parents will feel more informed and engaged and be able to support their children better than ever before.
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Another practical step could be to ensure parents can access data via a web browser. If the communication solution can only used on a mobile phone, it will automatically exclude some parents who don’t have access to one. Ensuring accessibility via a web browser will mean that even parents without a home computer can still log in and check their child’s progress. With this in mind, it’s important to also facilitate printed versions of communications – after all, they still have their place with parents who are not digitally native.
Alongside this, providing alternative language and audio options is a must. Some parents are not native English speakers, and there will always be children and parents who have sight impairments. Providing options which cater to individual needs means every parent will be able to engage.
Ultimately though, any technology or communication tool used to engage parents must be intuitive and provide a good user experience. Making it easy for parents to become involved and invested in their child’s education is the key to increasing engagement. Reading reviews and testimonials to find out what existing users of platforms really think about using them on a day- to-day basis is critical. Limitless functionality might sound great, but if the solution is clunky and difficult to use, schools and teachers will never reap the rewards of the features.
The last three years have been incredibly trying for everyone involved in education – from school leaders and teachers to parents and students. Despite the ongoing tough economic and societal factors, there is a real opportunity to support children in achieving their potential and aspirations through improving school-parent engagement. Through harnessing technology and communication tools, we can help close the attainment gap for good.
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