Training

1. PARENTAL SUPPORT

2. Did you Know?
•School age children spend 70% of
their waking hours (including
weekends and holidays) outside of
school

3. What does parental support in
children’s learning mean?
Parental Support means:
• Learning at home: Parents are the first and ongoing
educators of their own children
• Home/School partnership: Working together with the
school staff for the best outcomes in your child’s
education.
The earlier in a child’s educational process parent
involvement begins, the more powerful the effects.

4. Types of support
Definition
• parenting
providing housing, health, nutrition,
safety; parenting skills in
parent-child
interactions; home conditions to
support
study; information to help
schools know child
• communicating
school-home/home-school
communication
• volunteering in school
help in classrooms/events

5. Type of support
Definition
• Teaching at home help with homework, help with educational
choices/options
• decision making membership of PTA
• collaborating with contributions to school the community

6. Importance of Parental Support
• Most students at all levels – elementary, middle, and high
school – want their families to be more knowledgeable
partners about schooling.
• When parents come to school regularly, it reinforces the
view in the child's mind that school and home are
connected and that school is an integral part of the whole
family's life.

7. Benefits of Parental Support for
Children
• It is easier for children to learn when they get encouragement at
home
• They will do better and achieve more when their parents are
involved
• Children get access to more activities in and out of school when
there are more
• adults to help
• Their concerns can be sorted out quicker when their parents have
a positive
• relationship with school staff
• They are happy when their parents are enjoying events in the
school.

8. Benefits of Parental Support for
Parents
• Their children do better when they are involved
• They are better able to help and encourage their children
• They have more information about their children’s education
• Parents can build their own confidence and skills
• Where there is a positive relationship between parents and their
child’s school there are benefits all round
• Parents get reassurance that their children are receiving a good
education.

9. Benefits of Parental Support for the
School
• Parents bring skills which complement teachers’ skills and expertise
• Parents contribute their time, so together parents and teachers are able
to do more activities with pupils than teachers can do on their own
• Pupils' attainment and behaviour improve
• Parents have ideas about how the school can best support the children
• Teachers have people with whom they can talk over ideas and get help
when developing plans for the school.
• Parents can give advice and help around reaching other parents.

10. Some of the barriers to parental
involvement
• Time: Parents are busy people. Parents might be:
1. Working either full time or part time
2. Bringing up young children on their own
3. Have more than one child attending different schools.

11. Some of the barriers to parental
involvement
• Family circumstances: Families come in all shapes and sizes and
have different needs.
• Parents may find it particularly difficult to attend meetings if they:
• Have a child who is disabled
• Have a baby or other caring responsibilities
• Work shifts or work away from home
• Have a complex family structure with parents who are separated;
some might have new partners.

12. Some of the barriers to parental
involvement
• Lack of confidence: Parents may feel uncomfortable in school
surroundings for a number of reasons:
• It may bring back unpleasant memories of their own school days
• Some may feel that their own lack of knowledge or skills puts them at a
disadvantage
• Some parents may have difficulty themselves with reading or writing
• Parents may feel that there is no place for them in the school or that the
school is not welcoming
• Some men may feel out of place and that they don’t have a role because
many activities held during the day are mainly attended by women.

13. Some of the barriers to parental
involvement
• Unfamiliarity:
• Many parents feel that membership of a formal parent body is ‘not
for them’.
• They may perceive them to be ‘closed’, cliquey’, ‘elitist’ or ‘formal’, or
not see themselves as the right kind of person to be involved.
• These perceptions can be a real barrier to parents putting
themselves forward.

14. HOW CAN WE SOLVE THESE
PROBLEMS?
• LET’S DISCUSS!

15. Tips to help with supporting
your child
•Establish a daily family routine.
• Examples: Providing time and a quiet
place to study, assigning responsibility
for household chores, being firm about
bedtime and having dinner together.
1

16. Tips to help with supporting
your child
•Monitor out-of-school activities.
•Examples: Setting limits on TV
watching, checking up on children
when parents are not home, arranging
for after-school activities and
supervised care.
2

17. •Model the value of learning, self-discipline, and
hard work.
•Examples: Communicating through questioning
and conversation, demonstrating that
achievement comes from working hard.
Tips to help with supporting
your child
3

18. •Express high but realistic expectations for
achievement.
•Examples: Setting goals and standards that are
appropriate for children's age and maturity,
recognizing and encouraging special talents,
informing friends and family about successes.
Tips to help with supporting
your child
4

19. •Encourage children's development/ progress in
school.
•Examples: Maintaining a warm and supportive
home, showing interest in children's progress at
school, helping with homework, discussing the
value of a good education and possible career
options, staying in touch with teachers and
school staff.
Tips to help with supporting
your child
5

20. •Encourage reading, writing, and discussions
among family members.
•Examples: Reading, listening to children
read and talking about what is being read
Tips to help with supporting
your child
6

21. Finally…
•The more parents participate in
schooling, in a sustained way, at every
level - in advocacy, decision-making and
oversight roles, as fund-raisers and
boosters, as volunteers and para-
professionals, and as home teachers -
the better for student achievement.9

22. THANK YOU FOR
YOUR TIME AND
PATIENCE!