A child's life is divided between school and home. School-Home Support recognises that building a bridge between the two is a great way to help children overcome educational barriers, and research backs this up. In 2003, for example, Professor Charles Desforges at the University of Exeter published a paper showing the importance of parental involvement with a child's education. He found parental involvement has a significant positive effect on children's achievement, with the impact being much greater than differences associated with variations in the quality of schools. So how can we get parents involved?
1. There will be hurdles.
Parents may have had negative experiences of school themselves; there can be cultural differences in the role of, or value placed on, education; parents will have different amounts of time to spare as well as different levels of aspiration for their children. It is best to start tackling these hurdles as early as possible by including parents in the school's induction process. We work in partnership with schools to develop a "Ready for School" programme that prepares families for the transition into primary or secondary school and addresses these issues. This can result in improved levels of school readiness, improved attainment and a good relationship between home and school from the outset.
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