4.5 Parental engagement

Is there evidence that…

• Parent carers understand how their child is doing, what their child or young person (CYP) needs to do and what they can do to provide support.

Discussion prompts / evidence of impact

• Parents are invited to attend school events.  For example, parents evening, performances, curriculum and social occasions such as quiz nights. Parents from all backgrounds are asked what events would be comfortable and engaging for them. 
• The school offers workshops to develop parents’ understanding of different concepts and elements of school life and advises them of how they can further support their CYP at home.
• Annual reports are provided to parents to share key data and information about their CYP. Staff check that parents understand the information that is presented in the reports and are given the opportunity to discuss it with their CYP’s teacher.
• Parents’ evenings and meetings are effectively scaffolded so that parents understand their role and the type of questions that would be helpful to raise. Additional support is considered for parent carers who might be apprehensive about attending (e.g. those with anxiety, from Gypsy Roma and Traveller (GRT) backgrounds, those who may have had a poor school experience themselves) or for whom English is an Additional Language (EAL).
• Online and digital methods for parent engagement is effective and well supported, with due consideration given to those with limited literacy or limited digital access.
• Homework/home learning is linked to the different curriculum/topic areas in each year group and clearly differentiated so that it is accessible to all CYP. Parents and CYP are engaged with homework, see its benefits and the impact it has on learning. The school supports CYP to complete home learning.
• Where there is evidence that parental engagement is low, the school proactively addresses the barriers and seeks to build positive relationships.

Last updated 16 August 2021