Working with Parents to Impact on Students’ Learning King Edward VI School Bury St Edmunds Geoff Barton Headteacher, King Edward VI School PowerPoint available from:

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About us: King Edward VI School Bury St Edmunds upper school Mixed town / rural catchment 61% 5+A*-C (with English & Maths) Sports College focus on participation, health, leadership development Training School focus on micro-skills of teaching, leadership development, workforce remodelling 3-session day and Active Citizenship.

Some starting-points: King Edward VI School Bury St Edmunds 1.Parents will have far more influence over their children’s development than we ever will 2.No parent wants to see their child fail 3.Some parents are unsure how to support their child, especially after Year 7 4.Many problems in school are a result of parents and school giving out mixed messages 5.Some success is better than no success.

1: Parents’ Evenings Less Stalinist Always involve student Always refreshments team Always “2 key messages” Always evaluated and published.

2:Target-setting/Review days 1 day of review and targets per year Customised timings from tutor Data-rich Embrace learning in its widest sense (eg out-of-hours, leadership) Models good practice: pre- and post-interview tasks.

3: Parent Network Interventionist pastoral team Parents being invited into school is one of our main approaches Frequent contact through letters and calls Target our most elusive parents Sessions on “Coping with adolescence”, Family Quiz, “Supporting your child’s learning”.

4: Parent Learning Coordinated approach to engaging parents across 27 partner schools Funded through Extended Schools Map out ways that parents can support their children - make good practice explicit Share via booklet (8000 per year) … … and website.

5: What if … … data could tell us to the nearest 6 houses which children are most at risk of under-achievement and exclusion? … we could plan systematic interventions through primary, middle and upper school? … we could engage parents through ICT and face-to- face support? … we could find sensitive ways of modelling good parenting practice in homework support, literacy, eating, etc?

ACORN – What is it? Geodemographic tool Central to business intelligence Used at population and individual level.

ACORN Categories Wealthy Achievers Wealthy Executives Affluent Greys Flourishing Families Urban Prosperity Prosperous Professionals Educated Urbanites Aspiring Singles Comfortably off Starting Out Secure families Settled Suburbia Prudent Pensioners Moderate Means Asian Communities Post Industrial Families Blue Collar Roots Hard Pressed Struggling Families Burdened Singles High Rise Hardship Inner City Adversity

NEXT STEPS Sharing knowledge across the cluster Intervening at earlier stage Showing continuity across transitions Investigating funding for getting target parents actively involved Wanting to develop a research project Wanting to break the link between wealth and achievement.

Working with Parents to Impact on Students’ Learning King Edward VI School Bury St Edmunds