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What are the benefits of parents getting involved?
The benefits for the children are:
- 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.
The benefits for parents are:
- 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.
The benefits for the school are:
- 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.
The benefits for the education authority are:
- The ideas and experience of a wider pool of people lead to a better strategy which will support participation for more parents
- The education authority gets information on how its policies and education provision are working out in practice
- The education authority is able to discuss plans and ideas for education developments with a wide range of parents
- Parents who are involved in other representative groups help make sure the education policies link in well with the other policies and provision for people living in that area.
example 1 - parents supporting healthy eating
A primary school in Highland involved parents in improving school meals. Parents tested school lunches and took an interest in the nutritional value of the meals, which led to the school meals service changing its menus. As the school meals improved more children chose to have them regularly.
With the help of a local trust fund and local gardening firm, a school garden was developed to grow fresh produce for use in school meals and for snacks.
example 2 - parents helping children get to school
A primary school in Glasgow works with parents to provide a 'walking bus service' to school. This encourages children to walk to school accompanied by at least two adults. The adults start the walk with the children and pick up others at agreed points along the way.
It encourages a healthy way of getting to school as well as an awareness of road safety.
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