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FEATURES PARENTAL ENGAGEMENT 4 | ASK HOW FAMILIES WANT TO RECEIVE INFORMATION Some families appreciate regular updates about their child’s reading or reminders about upcoming school trips via a mobile app. Others prefer a weekly email to keep them up to date. Because parents’ preferences vary, it’s worth asking what kind of information they find useful, and how they’d like to receive it. A short survey at the start of the year can help a school make sure its communication strategy gives parents information in the way they want it, to help them support learning effectively and stay engaged. Provide a defined list of options rather than asking an open-ended question, to prevent decision overload and to make sure you're only offering options that are practical and sustainable for the school. 5 | REMOVE BARRIERS TO ENGAGEMENT It isn’t always easy for parents to fully engage in their child’s education. Behind every missed parents’ evening could be a family juggling multiple jobs to afford the next school trip. Schools can help by offering flexible meeting times, informal chats in the playground or virtual catchups when face-to-face meetings aren’t possible. Small adjustments like these can make a real difference to how included parents feel and help them to stay involved. 6 | MAINTAIN REGULAR TWO-WAY COMMUNICATION Keeping parents informed is important, but meaningful engagement develops over time. Instead of a one-way flow of updates, create opportunities throughout the year for parents to share insights about their child, ask questions and work with teachers to support learning. With regular, meaningful dialogue, parents feel part of the school community and children get the support they need. When families are genuinely included, children's learning flourishes – so make sure every interaction counts 6 ways to stop parents feeling left out EDWARD FARMILO is a former teacher, and senior leader for education at VenturEd Solutions. venturedsolitions.co.uk 1 | FOCUS ON MORE THAN OUTCOMES If a pupil suddenly stops handing in homework or has been misbehaving in maths lessons, their parents might typically get an email to let them know their child has had three behaviour alerts this week. But receiving that kind of message out of the blue can leave families feeling excluded, worried or defensive, without fully understanding the circumstances leading up to the sanction. A more proactive approach, where you reach out personally before the email alert is raised, can help parents and carers feel more involved in the process, and more supported to nip problems in the bud. 2 | SHARE USEFUL DETAIL When parents understandmore about what’s behind a child’s behaviour, they’re in a stronger position to help. A teacher might have noticed a child becomes disruptive in literacy lessons , particularly after being asked to read aloud. Sharing that detail gives parents valuable context. It can spark more meaningful conversations, whichmight reveal that the pupil struggles to express themselves vocally, both in school and at home. Teachers and families can then explore next steps together to address vocabulary gaps, with some extra support to build the child’s confidence, or referral to a speech and language specialist. 3 | COMMUNICATE WITHOUT OVERLOADING Information overload can quickly switch parents off. Regular updates can be valuable, but whenmessages pile up, it becomes harder to get to what’s important. Schools can avoid this by focusing on quality over quantity when it comes to emails and texts. The goal is to keep families informed and included without overwhelming them. School systems can be set up to send information out automatically, but it’s important to avoid generic messages that may come across as impersonal or irrelevant, causing parents to lose interest. www.teachwire.net | 11