Parents in Partnership Frome Valley First School Crossways

Background Moved to new site last September Previously in Owermoigne Over 90% of children bussed to school Didn’t see the parents Communication with them a real issue!

We had ….. Half-termly Newsletters Termly curriculum statements Home-School diaries Reading records between home and school Parent interviews twice each year Informal – Harvest, Nativity etc Website – early stages of development

But we needed to do more … We recognised the need to get parents involved Involving parents is known to raise standards And then we were inspected

Assessment for Learning Shirley Clarke project Started with teaching methods Changes in marking of children's’ work We needed to tell the parents! We need to get them on board in order for them to support their child’s learning

The first Information Evening AfL information evening Lots of parents came High level of interest, many questions Evaluation indicated the requests for more such evenings

Next Information Evening Parents requested one on Reading It bombed! 4 parents!

So we had a rethink ……. We decided to tell parents what’s in it for them – - understand what their children are doing in the classroom - help them with their homework - develop their own skills, even in Maths! - and we put on an Open Morning straight after the event for parents to come and see it in action - and we gave them a leaflet to take away

And the format of the evenings.. Tell parents the Aims of the meeting and how long it is likely to last Bums on Seats! Tell them we will put on the evening if there is sufficient interest Don’t do it on a Beavers/ Cubs/ Rainbows/ Brownies etc night Put on a crèche, pre-school leaders may help

Parent’s participation We have done Maths – parents very reluctant to participate in practical activities Videoing the children very popular! All teachers involved in presentations Leaflets – we gave them a leaflet to take away Evaluations ……

Act on evaluations! We produce a summary of the evaluations following an event and sent it out to all the parents Indication of future events Report to Governors Put in Ofsted file! Act on the evaluations – future events

School website All leaflets given out at Information Evenings are put on the website – and tell parents they are on there! Other AfL information there also including children’s work

Governor’s Annual Meeting No longer a requirement But: A valuable opportunity we chose to keep

Governor’s Annual Meeting Stage manage the meeting Give parents 2 topics to discuss 3 positives and 1 or 2 areas to clarify Written summary to parents after the meeting Keep the evidence! A genuine consultation meeting with parents as stakeholders

The principles …… Tell parents of the opportunity Establish interest in the event Provide it! (and eliminate any excuses) Those present complete an evaluation After the event - summarise the discussions in a written form to all parents Act on this, or not, but tell parents in any case

What’s next for us ….. Family Literacy and Numeracy, get parents involved Webster-Stratton parenting skills Surgeries for parents of children on the SEN register Parents’ Council

Parents in Partnership ……so in summary, Ask them what they want Respond – positive and negative, but give reasons Take action! Tell them what you have done and what the outcome is Tell them the next step And give them a leaflet …….

Finally ….. All stakeholders can be challenging Parents are positive if they are informed knowledgeable and feeling confident Listen to their views! Invite comments, tell them the school is listening and responding Take a deep breath and bring them on board!