It is important to try to involve as many parents and carers as possible in the consultation process. Establishing their ownership of the document is crucial.
The law states that:
Before adopting or revising the home-school agreement the governing body is required to consult all registered parents of pupils at the school who are of compulsory school age.
There is no one particular strategy for consulting families that would serve the needs of all schools. Consultation with parents is a key part of the process of drawing up a home-school agreement, and is a valuable exercise in its own right. The method of consultation should be chosen to reflect the particular circumstances of your school and the parents of your pupils.
The guidance states that:
Schools will need to adopt a combination of different approaches to reach as many parents as possible. It is important to get a range of views from parents of different backgrounds.
The following methods should be considered:
- questionnaires
- letters
- special meetings
- working groups
- the annual parents' meeting.
When organising a meeting, you should consider the following questions:
- What is the likelihood of this meeting being well attended and representative of all parents/carers?
- What other methods of consultation should be used in addition to target those who will not attend?
- Where should this meeting be held? Is the school always the best or only venue?
- What is the timing for the meeting?
- Should there be more than one meeting, on different days of the week and at different times of day?
A Newham EAZ school (Curwen Primary School), held two meetings, specifically targeting a full cross-section of parents. Personal contact was made with supportive parents, parents who had criticisms of the school, and parents representative of a range of community groups within the school's catchment area etc.
The Head had no suggested agreement for their consideration. He simply wanted to discuss their views on the respective roles and responsibilities of pupils, parents and teachers. This was also followed up with a questionnaire to all parents accompanying the suggestions put forward at the consultative meetings.
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Some schools found it worthwhile to target 'school-shy' parents at home. You should ask:
- How is this best achieved - by questionnaire, through the pupils, telephone, home visiting, agency workers, some other means, or a combination of different approaches?
- How can this been done in a way which will engage parents and not make them feel threatened?
Keir Hardie Primary School, Newham, acknowledging that only a very small number of parents would be likely to attend a meeting, sent out a questionnaire accompanying a suggested outline of an agreement. This was followed up by every teacher telephoning three parents of pupils in their class. The Headteacher telephoned a number of parents who had not been particularly supportive of the school in the past.
Additionally, over a week, the Head, teachers and governors approached parents personally as children were either brought to school or collected at the end of the day.
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A Newham EAZ school (Curwen Primary School), held two meetings, specifically targeting a full cross-section of parents. Personal contact was made with supportive parents, parents who had criticisms of the school, and parents representative of a range of community groups within the school's catchment area etc.
The Head had no suggested agreement for their consideration. He simply wanted to discuss their views on the respective roles and responsibilities of pupils, parents and teachers. This was also followed up with a questionnaire to all parents accompanying the suggestions put forward at the consultative meetings.
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It is important that consultation is felt on all sides to be a genuine process. Many schools have used a draft agreement in the consultation process, but there is a danger that parents will feel that they are being presented with a fait accompli rather than genuinely consulted. If schools do not feel that they would get a meaningful response to an open question about what should be included in a home-school agreement, a questionnaire is often a better way to present thoughts for initial discussion than a complete draft agreement.
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