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What does parental involvement in children's education mean?
There are three main ways in which parents get involved in supporting their children's learning and education.
Learning at home: Parents are the first and ongoing educators of their own children and, as such, should receive information and support to help develop their child's learning at home, in the community and at school.
Home/School Partnership: Schools which are open to the involvement of parents in the work they do are the best schools for pupils learning and they provide information that helps parents engage with school and their children's education. There may also be support for schools and parents from others, e.g. Home/School Link workers, Community Workers or Family Support teams.
Parental representation: The Act provides a framework for ensuring that parents have the opportunity to express their views and have these taken into account on policy and practical matters affecting the education of their children. It makes provision for parents to be a member of the Parents Forum at a school and to have their views represented to the school, education authority and others through a representative Parent Council for the school.
This section focuses on learning at home. The following two sections cover home/school partnership and building links with the community. Sections 7 and 8 provide details on the Parent Forum and developing Parent Councils as the system for effective parental representation.
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