FEATURE: PARENTAL ENGAGEMENT
How to achieve inclusive, accessible parental engagement
ability to succeed. With this in mind, there must be a key focus on supporting parents and carers at all levels of affluence to achieve maximum benefit for their children.
There are various things teachers can do to overcome this, and make this vital practice more streamlined and accessible, so that children of all backgrounds have an equal and fair chance of fulfilling their potential.
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n our second feature this month looking at parental engagement, Tom Harbour, CEO, Learning with Parents, calls for support for parents and carers at all levels of affluence to achieve maximum benefit for their children.
There are ongoing discussions about the widening achievement gap in the UK, with government data from last year suggesting the divide between disadvantaged primary school pupils and their more affluent peers is at its largest level in 10 years.
This, the government say, is due in part to the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic which ‘had a greater impact on disadvantaged pupils’. Other evidence also indicates that children from the most disadvantaged families faced the heaviest learning losses during the lockdowns, which is having a lasting impact on their education journey.
So, while some parents say the lockdowns across 2020 and 2021 enabled them to interact with school materials in great depth for the first time, others had a very different experience, feeling further away from their child’s education than ever before due to the pressures placed on them from elsewhere.
And for many, even some time on from the pandemic, being involved in home learning still feels continually out of reach; parents often feel overwhelmed with the various terminologies and techniques involved in modern teaching and in the same vein, teachers don’t always have the time or tools to communicate with families effectively, making it harder still. As a result, adults can start to feel they no longer have an important role in their child’s education, and their engagement wanes.
Today, schools and the education sector have a real opportunity to capitalise and build on nationwide engagement with home learning. Research shows that the home learning environment has the most influence on a child’s
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Tell parents how important they are Parents and carers do not necessarily know how important their input at home is, but they are the people who know their children best. Letting parents know they are valued and that you want to help educate their child together will set the tone required for engagement with learning. Ask about their aspirations for their child, be clear about how they can help achieve them and remember to celebrate any home learning that goes well.
Consider the language you use When talking to parents about the curriculum and teaching techniques, either in conversations or school reports, don’t assume they know the terminology that you use every day, like ‘grapheme’ or ‘partitioning.’ Providing families with simple tools to understand these new terms can do a lot to empower them to support at home, so clearly explain what they are and how their child will come to use them. Similarly, little touches like finding out how they want to be addressed – as ‘mum’ or ‘dad’, as Mr or Mrs Suchabody, or by their first name – goes a long way in striking up a relationship and gives parents control over what might be perceived as a power imbalance.
Outline the most effective learning techniques The real difference in ensuring home learning is
effective is to get the small – but totally valuable – interactions between parent and child right. Championing reading is always a good place to start but more can be done. For example, they should encourage things like playing number bond games on the bus or in the supermarket, or play Simon Says using phonic sounds with items found around the home; anything that feels fun to a child will appeal to their nature and make them more likely to learn.
Use simple and accessible technology Any tech platform used to help improve a child’s education must be simple for a parent to navigate and easy for everyone to understand, so it doesn’t feel like an extra job or burden and is suitable even for those with low IT literacy. Find technologies which balance a clear interface for the user, but which also have benefit to your school, like brilliant data capture and insights that help inform your teaching going forwards.
Think of no-one as ‘hard to reach’ No parent or carer walks around thinking of themselves as ‘hard to reach’ and schools should do the same. Instead, think of how the barriers that parents face can be overcome. For example, many feel time poor, and can often think: ‘I don’t have the time to help my child at home’. To help minimise the risk of this perceived obstacle, think about the homework being set – do families have the tools to complete it? Is the homework flexible enough to fit in with family life? Additionally, some have reading and language barriers – is the way you’re communicating with parents inclusive for all? If not, ensure it is – have content professionally translated into various languages and adapt the wording used for those who might have a low reading age.
January 2023
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