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Listen
Some of the barriers to parental involvement
- Time
Parents are busy people. Parents might be: - Working either full time or part time
- Bringing up young children on their own
- Have more than one child attending different schools.
- 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.
- Geography
The area parents live in can be a significant factor in how parents are able to be involved with school based activities. This includes: - Parents and pupils may have to travel some distance to the school and may have difficulty with transport or have to walk through unsafe areas
- Where children are being educated some distance from their home and live in a hostel.
- 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.
- 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.
Activity 1
involving all parents at your school
| Purpose - To measure where you are now in
involving all parents. This activity
can be repeated later to measure
progress and to consider how you
have achieved this
|  | Who will be involved - Parent Council
- Other agencies
- School staff
- Pupils
|
Work in pairs
Step 1
On a scale of 0-5, where would you say you are now in relation to involving parents?
0 = lot of room for improvement
5 = things are exactly how parents want them
Why have you decided on this rating?
Make a list of the different ways parents are involved in supporting their child's learning
Step 2
Where on the scale would you like to get to?
What needs to change to move up to where you want to be?
What kinds of things do parents, pupils and staff need to be doing to reach this score?
What difference will this make to pupils, parents and the school?
Step 3
After working in pairs share your scores with others in the group on a blank 0-5 scale to get an overall picture.
Step 4
Share views on why you think you are where you are on the scale and what you could do to improve. Plan out the action that is needed to reach where you want to be - keep this realistic and achievable.
Carry out this exercise again 6 to 12 months later to assess the progress achieved.
example 1 - monthly drop-in surgeries for parents
A secondary school in Aberdeen has introduced drop-in surgeries which are held on a monthly basis. The headteacher is available for a number of hours during an evening or a Saturday morning. Parents can drop in to the school to speak to the headteacher without having to make an appointment. If a problem or query crops up parents know that they will have an opportunity to take it up imminently. This enables them to overcome issues as soon as they occur. The flexibility makes it easier for working parents or parents with other commitments or child care issues to attend at convenient times.
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