School involvement
Children achieve more when schools and parents work together.
Here are some tips.
Questions to ask your child's teachers
If you have questions, you don't have to wait until parent-teacher evenings.
It helps to find out certain facts right at the start of a course of study,
especially at the beginning of the GCSE's in year 10.
Questions to ask anytime:
What subjects are being studied?
What topic options, if any, are there for each subject?
What syllabus is being studied for each subject, and can you get a copy?
What text books, revise guides and other aides do you recommend?
What are the dates for the terminal exams, mock exams and any modular tests?
What are the coursework requirements, and when will your child be expected to do coursework and hand it in?
How can I contact you most conveniently (the teacher) if I have a question?
Parent - teacher meetings
It is likely that you will be invited into school to discuss your child's
progress with their teacher or teachers at least once during the academic
year. This is your chance to talk to staff about not only how your child
is coping with the academic side of school, but also any social issues
you may want to raise, and is a valuable opportunity for you to 'put a
face to a name'.
Parents' evenings are often timed around the issue of the annual school
report. Read your child’s report carefully. Make notes if you feel
there is anything that you wish to discuss with a particular teacher.
Discuss the prospect of the evening with your child. Is there anything
they want to ask?
Check your appointments schedule. Ensure your child has made appointments
to see all staff you wish to see.
You may be able to book a ‘double’ slot, time permitting,
if you feel your discussions with a particular teacher will be protracted.
Don't be late! You may not be able to see some teachers at all if you
miss your slot.
Help the teachers you see keep to time. If all your questions
haven’t been answered after your allotted slot, ask if you can book
another appointment to come in, or arrange to telephone the teacher at
school.
Take notes – often teachers will give specific information, such
as how you can help your child with homework in their subject –
and it may be helpful to write these ideas down.
There will usually be the Head or members of the senior management team
of the school available if you wish to take a point further.
Discuss any issues arising from the evening with your child
as soon as possible after the event. Try to put in place any agreed strategies
(such as listening to your child read every day, or checking their homework
diary weekly) straight away.
You may be able to arrange a further meeting (perhaps the following term)
with a specific teacher, to review your child's progress and follow up
issues raised at Parents' Evening.
If a teacher has promised to follow up an issue raised, do allow them
a week to get back to you before phoning the school with a reminder if
necessary.
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Home-school agreements
Parents can help more effectively if they know what the school is trying
to achieve and how they can help.
Does your school have a home-school agreement?
The following notes are extracted from the Dfes website at:
Dfes pages
on parental involvement
Sections 110 and 111 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 set
out that:
All maintained schools, city technology colleges and city colleges for
the technology of the arts adopt a home-school agreement and associated
parental declaration. The main points are as follows:
A home-school agreement is a statement explaining:
the school's aims and values; the school's responsibilities towards its
pupils who are of compulsory school age; the responsibilities of the pupil's
parents; and what the school expects of its pupils
Before adopting or revising the home-school agreement,
the governing body must consult all registered parents of pupils at the
school who are of compulsory school age
Parents do not have to sign the agreement, nor put under
any pressure to do so.
Breaches of the terms of the agreement will not be actionable
through the courts
The governing body may invite any pupil, whom they consider to have a
sufficient understanding of the home-school agreement as it relates to
him or her, to sign the parental declaration as an indication that he
or she acknowledges and accepts the school's expectations of its pupils.
Examples
of parent/school agreements
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Getting more involved
There are often many opportunities for parents to become involved in
school. The problem of course is to find the time.
Attending open evenings.
Volunteering. There may be opportunities to volunteer
at school either helping with after-school activities or during the day
as classroom assistants. You might be able to help with school productions
or fundraising activities; call the school to find out.
Most schools have a Parent Teachers Association, or PTA.
This is usually involved in social and fundraising events. It also provides
an excellent opportunity to extend the relationships between school and
home. Contact the school office if you would like to be involved.
Become a parent representative on the board of school governors.
All schools are run by a board of Governors, which oversees all aspects
of school life to ensure that everything runs as smoothly as possible.
It consists of the Head teacher, appointees from the Local Education
Authority, Teacher Governors, Parent Governors and some co-optees appointed
by the other governors because of their usefulness to the community.
The principal concern is to provide support to the school, particularly
in the provision of resources, by taking responsibility for the school
budget and premises. Governors will often assist the head to appoint other
staff, especially the more senior members, and to deal with serious disciplinary
matters, such as the exclusion of unruly pupils. You do not necessarily
need any special expertise or experience to become a governor –
just enthusiasm, commitment and time. There are usually elections for
parent representatives and the term is generally of four years.
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