Engaging parents Equality Services Meeting the needs of Primary school pupils with EAL.

The Equality Act 2010 – What is it about? To not be discriminated against To get fair treatment and opportunity To be free from harassment and hatred so that you and your learners can be free to live, work and enjoy.

What has changed? Introduced concept of protected characteristics:  Disability  Pregnancy and maternity  Race  Religion or belief  Sex  Sexual orientation  Gender reassignment Age and being married or in a civil partnership are NOT protected characteristics for schools’ provisions

Public Sector Equality Duty  eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation  advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it  foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it. Need to pay ‘due regard’ to the need to

School responsibilities Schools also have a responsibility to:  Publish equality objectives by 6 April 2012 and every four years thereafter;  Publish information annually from 6 April 2012 to demonstrate their compliance with the general Equality Duty

Setting objectives  Schools may choose to include aspects of parental engagement as an equality objective  Example - To ensure that the views of all parents are taken into account and that parents with equality characteristics are equally involved in school life

Ofsted expectations  ‘Parents, staff and pupils are unreservedly positive about both behaviour and safety’. Grade 1 – Behaviour and Safety  ‘The school has highly successful strategies for engaging with parents to the benefit of pupils, including those who find working with the school difficult.’ Grade 1 – Leadership and Management

What stops parental involvement in learning? “We need to begin with the firm belief that all parents are interested in the development and progress of their own children” Are some parents just not interested?

What stops parental involvement in learning? Try to understand ME/EAL parent’s perspective which is that they may:  have English as an Additional Language  lack confidence  feel anxious and vulnerable  have difficulty accessing schools and services  lack understanding of the education system  have housing/work issues Factors that impede involvement

What stops parental involvement in learning Communication with teachers:  Teachers’ confidence  Professional expertise Parents’ experience of services

Respectful Relationships  Parents occupations/workplace and shift patterns  Who lives with the child/extended family  Languages spoken at home  Countries of family origin and ethnicity  Immigration status  Family beliefs/religious practices  Family attitudes to learning/child rearing  Family interests Knowing more about families

Respectful Relationships (Cont.) Knowing more about families will help us to:  Avoid stereotypes and value difference  Develop understanding and match services to need  Improve communication  Develop shared understanding about learning  Extend learning already happening at home  Understand children’s behaviour

Respectful Relationships (Cont.) Partnership model - Davis, Day and Bidmead (2002) - a common aim - working together - complimentary expertise - mutual respect - open communication - sharing power - negotiation Equal Partnerships

Action planning ideas  Identify areas for development/ issues you would like to address