Parentline Plus and Teacher Support Network call for greater ‘parental engagement’
Posted in Parents
Wednesday 7 April 2010
In Articles
Parentline Plus and Teacher Support Network call for greater ‘parental engagement’
Parentline Plus and Teacher Support Network are calling for stronger partnerships between parents, pupils and teachers to increase parental engagement in schools.
The call follows research by both charities and the launch of the report 'Beyond the school gate', which shows that parental engagement in learning is crucial to wellbeing, behaviour, attendance and attainment.
The report shows that:
- 64 per cent of teachers said they had been subjected to verbal or physical abuse by a parent.
- 64 per cent of teachers said they had been subjected to verbal or physical abuse by a parent.
- 62 per cent of parents said they had been patronised, sidelined or ignored when trying to deal with an issue in their child’s school.
- 69 per cent of teachers said that ‘specific training for teachers on parent-teacher relations would be effective or ‘very effective’.80 per cent of teachers felt that their relationship with parents was good or very good.
- 57 per cent of parents felt that had a positive relationship with their child’s school.
- Teachers overwhelmingly reported that those parents who do not engage, or with whom there is a bad or difficult relationship, have an enormous impact on their wellbeing and work.
- Both parents and teachers felt that if a child’s education was suffering as a result of a difficult home life, some form of external support such as a Parent Support Worker would be vital.
Over the last decade there has been an increased awareness of the important role that parents play in the education of their child. At the same time, the role of teachers and schools has evolved, seeing a greater focus on the wellbeing of the child and their family.
Nevertheless the work of Parentline Plus and Teacher Support Network has shown that barriers still exist between teachers and parents and can lead to stress and anxiety on both sides.
The charities surveyed parents and teachers via their respective websites.
The results showed that the absence of parental engagement, caused difficulties for the child and teachers involved.
The report demonstrates that poor parental engagement is having an adverse effect on pupil, parent and teacher wellbeing. Many parents said they had felt patronised, sidelined or ignored by their child’s school, and an equally worrying number of teachers said that they had been verbally or physically abused by a pupil’s parent.
Recommendations from the ‘Beyond the school gate’ report include:
- Every school should consult the whole school community to create a comprehensive Home School Agreement.
- Every school should have adequate access to a visible parent support worker who is trained to deal with a spectrum of family and emotional issues and whose role and remit is fully understood.
- Communications must detail how parents can help their child’s education in the home. Teachers must be given adequate time to undertake this work.
Jeremy Todd, Parentline Plus Chief Executive said:
“It is clear that parental engagement in the form of supporting learning and reinforcing discipline in the home is key to improving outcomes for children. We know that barriers that prevent parents from taking on an active role in their child’s learning remain, and we are committed to working collaboratively to help families overcome those barriers.
“Other forms of parental involvement may be beneficial for the school environment but not necessarily improve outcomes and raise standards in the same way.
“Schools should therefore focus efforts and resources to engage parents in supporting their child’s learning beyond the school gates.”
Julian Stanley, Teacher Support Network Chief Executive, said:
“This report re-emphasises the need for both parents and teachers to be aware of each others’ needs – particularly the time constraints that workload causes for teachers – and to take measures to enhance the communication skills of both parties, particularly those new to being involved in schools.
“Teachers are still working on average 50 hours a week and workload is a contributory factor to the high levels of stress among teachers, which can ultimately lead to talented individuals leaving the profession.
"Although circumstances vary depending on the type of school, teachers tell us that the tension between a heavy workload and the demands from parents for more time-consuming forms of communications must be eased if engagement is going to improve."
"Schools, families and stakeholders across education must engage with each other and implement greater models of parental involvement for the benefit of the wellbeing of teachers and standards of education."
The report will be available on both organisations’ websites from Monday. In the meantime, an embargoed copy is available
here.
Ends
For interviews and media enquiries, contact: Simon Walsh, Parentline Plus Press Office, on 020 7284 5563 / 07525 403 642 or email
simon.walsh@parentlineplus.org.uk or Joe Williams, Teacher Support Network Press Office, on 07825511927 or
joe.williams@teachersupport.infoNotes to editors:
1. A teacher survey respondent cited that:
"Some parents are a… significant barrier to their children’s success…to some we (teachers) are punchbags for parent anger and a softer target than dealing with their own shortcomings as parents (lack of basic care, establishing values and respect for others, disinterest in school and their offspring). Examples in recent weeks include a parent complaining that we thought throwing objects at a teacher was unacceptable – they felt we should ‘get real’ – how are we able to teach this child that assault is unacceptable..?"
2. Parental Engagement is based on Epstein’s typography and includes: providing housing, health, nutrition and safety, parenting skills in parent-child interactions, home conditions to support study, information to help schools, help with homework, help with educational choices, etc.
3. Parentline Plus is a national charity that works for, and with, parents. We encourage parents to see that asking for help is a sign of strength, and work with them to offer practical solutions and suggestions to manage their particular situations and difficulties. We deliver this support through an innovative range of free, flexible, responsive services - shaped by parents for parents.
Parentline Plus services include:
4. Teacher Support Network is a group of charities dedicated to improving the wellbeing and effectiveness of training, serving and retired teachers and other education professionals.
5. The Teacher Support Network Group is made up of:
- Teacher Support Network, which is the parent charity and the charity for teachers in England.
- Teacher Support Cymru (TSC), which provides bilingual services for teachers in Wales.
- Teacher Support Scotland (TSS), which provides services for teachers in Scotland.
- College and University Support Network (CUSN), which is the charity for those working in adult, further and higher education.
6. Originally the Teachers’ Benevolent Fund, Teacher Support Network has evolved to meet the needs of the modern teacher, now providing telephone and online services which offer both preventative and reactive support. Through coaching, counselling, information, money advice and financial support, the charity helps tens of thousands of teachers tackle personal and work-related issues each year.
7. The TSN Contact Centre can be contacted on 08000 562 561. Staffed by trained counsellors with education expertise, all services are 24-hour, free and confidential.
8. Teacher Support Online is a secure email-based coaching service for teachers accessible via
www.teachersupport.info9. The Press Office at Teacher Support Network can provide journalists:
- Quotations, reaction and opinion on a broad-range of educational subjects from our Chief Executive, Julian Stanley. These will be based on regular contact with teachers across the United Kingdom, detailed surveys and in depth research.
- Feature articles, opinion pieces and advice for teachers for publication.
- Data on issues effecting teachers generated from thousands of calls and emails to our Support Line and email coaching and advice services.
- Data and analysis from regularly held surveys on issues affecting teachers.
- Anonymous case studies from teachers detailing real-life situations, powerfully demonstrating how issues are affecting teachers.
- In some situations, teachers willing to talk to the press directly, on a named or unnamed basis, about their experiences.