Some parents like the convenience of checking homework, behaviour updates and lunch money balances on their phones. Others prefer a quick phone call for urgent matters, and texts or emails for everything else.
The challenge lies in finding the right balance, so that families can be kept engaged and informed without feeling overwhelmed, or overloaded with unnecessary administration.
A good first step is to understand what information parents value most, and how they prefer to receive it. These insights can then be used to devise a communications strategy that ensures relevant information is shared consistently, in a way that’s easy for parents to act on.
Patterns and trends
The information schools record around attendance, behaviour, progress and wellbeing can be used to spot trends and intervene earlier to support individual students, year groups and cohorts across a trust.
Your data may, for example, show a pupil receiving fewer behaviour warnings after lunch. This could indicate that they’re arriving at school in the morning without having had breakfast, but are more settled once they’ve eaten.
A quick chat with the child and their family – perhaps with an invitation to join the school’s breakfast club? – could be all that’s needed to get them back on track.
Ups and downs
It might also be possible to see that the number of pupils in school drops sharply during the final two weeks of the spring term, and that those children with lower attendance are more likely to fall behind.
Knowing this, a school or trust could plan out a targeted campaign of parental communications highlighting the importance of routine, and offering practical tips they can use to keep their children motivated as the term draws to a close.
Sharing information in this way can both strengthen home-school links and improve student outcomes.
Home-school communication that makes a difference
Schools that take a proactive approach to communication – sharing timely, tailored information that parents want and need – will see a positive impact on pupils’ progress relatively quickly.
Schools and families need open and timely communication if they’re to work together effectively and help students succeed.
Four steps to better parental engagement
- Share a range of information. This can include attendance, behaviour and pupil rewards. Highlighting both successes and areas where support may be required will help to build strong home-school relationships.
- Survey parents and guardians. Ensure you’re providing the information they value, in the formats they prefer.
- Establish clear communication channels. Use phone calls for urgent matters, and app notifications, texts or emails for routine updates.
- Set consistent expectations. You can increase parents’ trust and levels of engagement by clarifying what information will be shared with them and when.
Edward Farmilo is a former teacher, now senior leader for education at the school payments, communications and data provider VenturEd Solutions.
