As teachers, we spend so much time trying to improve what happens in school, but what happens outside the school gates? We know that parents have a profound influence on their children’s prospects, and yet many of them feel lost when it comes to supporting their children academically.
So, just as schools support pupils, we need to be supporting parents, too. Ultimately, if we do, it will improve the progress of students. So how can we, as educators, improve the way we work with parents?
A clear plan for engaging with parents
In a recent survey published by the University of Exeter, just 36 per cent of parents said they felt they were provided with adequate guidance to help with their children’s education. Around 43 per cent, however, agreed that their child’s school listened to their views on their child’s education.
Leaders should ask themselves: do we have an explicit strategy for working with parents? Do we know our parents and wider community? Some schools are pioneering deep listening exercises; they have been shocked by how little they actually understood their local communities. A plan could be as simple as ensuring effective communication; for example, weekly texts to parents, and short, termly letters. Could you do more to coordinate with other local services to directly help parents in their homes?
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Think about how you can engage with less confident parents who are less likely to go into school or feel listened to. What can be done to make school feel less intimidating? Could you adopt a more informal approach? Sometimes connecting with parents in their home via Zoom can help, as many parents feel more relaxed in their own environment.
Helping children to learn to read
One of the most powerful things parents can do for their younger children is helping them to read. Sitting down with children to read for just 20 minutes a day will help them to develop reading skills needed for learning and life.
Develop a campaign encouraging parents to establish a daily routine of reading during the early school years. Some schools now work with parents to develop the language skills of their children long before they start school. If you’re already behind at age 5, you may never catch up in the classroom.
Effective revision techniques
Revision strategies can make all the difference in how well pupils do in tests. But the most popular approaches, such as highlighting text and rereading, are not very effective. Taking quizzes or tests or asking questions are much better learning approaches. Revising a little a lot over time is much better than doing a lot at one time.
Run interactive workshops with parents to explain the best revision strategies.
You can also use these to model helicopter learning or metacognitive strategies that can boost learning skills. Enabling parents to understand strategies to plan, do and review will empower them to help children with their homework.
Post-school choices
Research shows that around one in three students would choose another degree course with hindsight. However, taking an apprenticeship can lead to higher salaries than many graduates will earn, and not all degrees lead to better job prospects and earnings.
Choosing what to do after school is, therefore, one of the most important decisions students and their parents will ever make. But our survey found that most parents need more information. Can you guide parents and students to make their choices more informed?
Lee Elliot Major is a professor of social mobility at the University of Exeter. His new book, The Good Parent Educator: What every parent should know about their children’s education, is out now
