Parents as Partners in
Excellence
Celia Burn
Scottish Learning Festival
September 2007

Outline of workshop
Scottish Schools (Parental
Involvement) Act 2006
Implications of the Act
Research evidence
Linking with other initiatives
Resources

Opportunity
“A once in a generation chance to take a
fresh look at how parents are involved in
their children’s learning and in schools
more generally”
Robert Brown, Deputy Minister for Education
and Young People

Purpose of the Act
Modernise and strengthen the framework
for supporting parental involvement
Engage parents meaningfully in the
education of their children and in the
school community
Support parents and staff to work in
partnership

Duties
Duties on Ministers and Education Authorities
to promote Parental Involvement
Education Authorities to:
prepare strategy for parental involvement (to
include reference to equal opportunities and looked
after children)
give advice and information to parents
promote and support Parent Councils
establish complaints procedure

Parent Forum and Parent Council
Every parent with a child at the school is
a member of the Parent Forum.
Parent Forum can choose to have their
views represented through a Parent
Council
Parent Council
smaller body that can represent parents
views to the school, local authority and
HMIe

Implications of the Act for schools
Need to review current parental
engagement and identify key areas for
improvement – audit in Toolkit
Parental engagement to be integrated
into school development plan
Barriers identified and addressed
Whole school approach
Joint working with new Parent Council

Why involve parents?
Parental engagement helps raise pupil
achievement – where parents and teachers
work together the gains are significant.
Parents’ influence is greatest in supporting
learning in the home.
A two way relationship is important and
schools giving the message that parents
matter.
Support for parents needs to recognise their
specific needs. (“Engaging Parents in Raising Achievement – Do
parents know they matter”. Warwick University July 2007)

Why parental involvement?
Where parents are
involved, children do
better and achieve more

What difference do parents make?
Children spend
only 15% of their
time in school

What difference do parents make?
85% of the language
we use as adults is in
place by the time we
are five years old and
50% is in place by the
time we are three
years old.

What difference do parents make?
Most differences in
achievement by 14 year
olds in English, Maths
and Science are due to
home influences.

What difference do parents make?
When parents are
actively involved in
reading with their
children at home their
children’s reading
scores improve, on
average, by between
12-18 months.

What difference do parents make?
Doing homework
regularly through
their years at school
has roughly the same
benefit as an extra
year’s schooling.

What do we mean by parental involvement?
Three key dimensions
- Learning at home – parents as first and
ongoing educators of their own children
- Home/School Partnership – schools,
parents and the community working
together to educate children
- Parent representation – parents having
an opportunity to comment on practice and
a voice in the development of education
policy at school, local authority and national
level.

Beyond involvement
Parental involvement – or
parental engagement.
A two way exchange and
dialogue
A joint enterprise

Framework
The, Act, Guidance and Toolkit
Curriculum for Excellence
Assessment is for Learning
HMIe – Journey to Excellence,
HMIe- How Good is our School 3
HMIe Guide – Partnership with Parents

The Journey to Excellence

Framework – Journey to Excellence
Provides good practice; guide to how
meet the 10 dimensions; self-
evaluation tips
Dimension 3 – Develops a common
vision with children, parents and staff
links with Curriculum for Excellence

Framework – Journey to Excellence
Dimension 5 - Works in partnerships
with other agencies and its
community:
The school in its community
Working with partners to meet the
needs of all children and young people
Multi-agency approaches to improve
learning

Journey to Excellence
Dimension 6 – Works together with
parents to improve learning:
Developing parents support for their
children’s learning
Active involvement of parents in school
activities
Collaboration and representation

Curriculum change and parents
Comfortable with the familiar. Whatever
the quality they will judge the curriculum
against what they did at school.
Need to explore the four purposes or
capacities
Parents need to know how they can
support their children’s learning at home.

The four capacities
Confident individuals
Successful learners
Effective contributors
Responsible citizens

Areas for involvement
Skills for work – what skills do parents
already have that they can contribute
Global citizenship – parent involvement
and participation evidence of this
Cross curriculum working provides ideal
opportunities for engaging parents –
health promoting schools, eco schools

Exercise
In groups of 3 or 4 identify areas of the
curriculum where it would be possible to
draw on the skills of parents.
Look at the Skills Survey from the Toolkit
and think about how you might be able to
work with your new Parent Council to
take this forward.

Top tips
Have a member of the senior leadership
team with specific responsibility for
parental partnership.
Share with all partners the importance
and impact of parental engagement.
Analyse the impact of all events and
activities on pupil achievement.
Embrace work with parents with
enthusiasm and passion!

Resources to support implementation
Toolkit and Guidance
Making the Difference leaflets
Involving parents CD Rom
Parentzone
http://www.parentzonescotland.gov.uk/
and Parents as Partners
http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/parentsaspartners
inlearning/index.asp
Parent Council Welcome Pack

Parents as Partners
‘Schools need the
support of Parents
to be truly
ambitious and excellent’
Peter Peacock, ex Minister for Education and Young People

HMIe Guide – Partnership with Parents
9 quality indicators for parental
involvement
Draws out key indicators and themes to
help evaluate quality of partnership with
parents
HGIOS 3

How Good is our Parental Involvement?

How Good Is Our School - 3
1.2 Fulfilment of statutory duties
2.2 The schools success in involving
parents carers and families
5.1 Parents views on the curriculum
5.3 Involving parents in learners needs
and plans
5.4 Engaging with parents using
assessment information to improve
learning

How Good Is Our School - 3
5.5 Expectations and achievement
5.6 Equality and fairness-all parents
5.7 Partnership with learners and parents-
active involvement, barriers, participation,
reaching out to parents
5.9 Gathering parents’ views to improve
through self evaluation
6.1 Parents actively involved in
development and review of policies

How Good Is Our School - 3
6.2 Active parental participation on
representative groups
8.2 Involvement of parents re funding to
support improvements in learning
9.1 Work with parents-shared vision
9.2 Leadership and direction
communicated to parents
9.3 Developing people/partnerships