Parents rarely become frustrated with their child’s school overnight. Subtle signs often appear before families disengage completely.
Many schools have developed simple ways to help them rebuild trust and ensure children get the support they need, both in and out of the classroom.
Share responsibility
Negativity soon develops when parents don’t feel listened to. This might simply be because nobody in school is available for a conversation, but everyone – SLT, teachers, SENCOs and pastoral leaders – has a role to play. Some schools share the load by having two deputy heads, so someone is always there to address parents’ concerns.
Donna Faley, headteacher at St Thomas More Catholic Primary, has developed a whole team of staff who support parental engagement within their specialist areas, including a phonics lead who is responsible for engaging with parents about children’s phonics learning. This means parents get quick answers to their questions and are better equipped to support their child’s education.
Make communications accessible
Some parents want to engage but can’t, because English is not their first language. When communications are inaccessible, families can feel excluded or may even switch off completely.
Emma Darcy, consultant and director of technology for learning at Denbigh High School, uses simple AI translation tools in Canva to remove language barriers. This keeps parents informed and they have more confidence in supporting their child’s progress from home.
Involve busy parents
Face-to-face meetings help build relationships, but not all parents can attend due to work or other commitments.
Staff at St Thomas More Catholic Primary avoid this by keeping track of parents who haven’t engaged for a while, catching them in the playground to share details of workshops or events that are likely to interest them.
Short daily meet-and-greets at the school gate and flooding social media with positive news about school life also help keep families up to date. These opportunities encourage parents to feel valued and included, and help build stronger relationships, so there is less chance of them breaking down in times of increased pressure.
Cassie Higgleton is a former teacher and senior leader at VenturEd Solutions.
Donna Faley and Emma Darcy feature in Why parental engagement isn’t working – and how to fix it, a guide from VenturEd Solutions.
