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E103 ST18 PARENTS, CARERS AND FAMILIES (Families are by far the biggest…
E103 ST18 PARENTS, CARERS AND FAMILIES
If you were at primary school in the 1970s, you may remember a few occasions of family–school collaboration, as some schools were beginning to involve parents actively in parent–teacher associations and in homework, particularly home-reading programmes. Activity 18.1
1980s or 1990s, it is likely that you will have a memory of some form of liaison: for example, during this time many primary schools started to involve parents in mathematics as well as reading, in homework with homework diaries and in school-based workshops to explain the curriculum. They were also keen to invite parents to come and ‘help out’ in school and on school trips..not particularly!
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generally easier for parents to become involved in their children’s education when attending a nursery, children’s centre or childminder. section 1.3
When children begin school, and as they get older, there may be fewer opportunities for parents and teachers to meet informally.
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section 1.4
Homework, for example, can encroach on family life and leisure time, and home–school agreements are not welcomed by all parents and all schools.
There are different patterns of family organisation and childcare, including single-parent and multi-generational families, families with same-sex partners, and looked-after children. plus language, culture and religion
some parents are...disaffected and disenfranchised by their own negative educational experience, who do not prioritise education and do not wish to have much to do with schools.
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section 2
schools that enlist the active and wide-ranging support of families, both for the children’s learning and for the life and work of the school, are more effective.
- Work with families has not always been well covered in teachers’ initial training, and many newly qualified teachers have had to learn how best to do this work during their first years of teaching* section 2.2
TAs may feel more confident in this area, given that many are parents themselves and bring other experience to their role, as discussed in Study Topic 2. section 2.2
children take a great deal of pleasure from seeing their parents in school. (Desforges and Abouchaar’s, 2003, cited in section 2.3)
According to the Learning Foundation (2016), 500,000 school-age children unable to use a computer to access the internet at home. section 2.3
parents should try to find out what children are enthusiastic about, ask open questions and wait to be ‘invited in’ by children rather than demanding information in an interrogatory fashion (Byron, 2009, cited in www.futurelab.org.uk section 2.3
section 3
In an inquiry into improving parental confidence in special educational needs systems, Brian Lamb found that ‘where things go wrong, the root causes can often be traced to poor communication’ or lack of it ‘between school, local authority and parent’ (2009, p. 3).
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It is natural for parents to want ‘the best’ for their children, in schooling as in everything else. section 3.2
Many schools are concerned about ‘hard to reach’ parents, section 3.4
effective work with parents (and families more widely) takes time, energy and a real commitment, and there are many other demands in the school day. section 3.4
section 3.1
books children read are boring compared to the ones that are read to them so James is maybe thinking 'why bother reading myself' Schofield, 2013, p.197
James cried every day first 3 weeks or so (Schofield, 2013, p.196
mother tried him with next level up and he preferred it so spoke to teacher and letting him stay on that level...proof parents 'interfering' is good. Cannot have that personalised focus on entire class !
'I think it is unnecessary for a 5-year-old to be given homework ' (Schofield, 2013, p.199)
learning at home is reinforced by the depth, intensity and continuity of parental concern and responsibility. section 4.5
section 4
parents are natural educators, often without realising it
family life and experience provides a rich environment for deep, embedded learning that has both immediate and long-term positive effects.
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families often lead by example, and that parents are, in fact, children’s prime educators. section 4.3
learning at home can give learners more time to learn and provide good opportunities to ask questions and engage in discussions, and that children can be shown ‘how’ to do things, rather than just being told to do things. section 4.3
section 4.4
The teachers visited their pupils’ homes, interviewed their parents and other relatives to understand their particular knowledge and skills, which they then brought into the classroom to base lessons on.
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It is important to try to build sustainability into a project, perhaps by not taking on, or promising, too much. Feasibility and endurance are central concepts for home–school initiatives.
This ST acknowledges the powerful influence of parental involvement and family support on the way that children learn and develop. This influence can be difficult to pin down because it is generally hidden from the view of professionals, but mostly because many professionals do not look for or encourage it. section 4.5
An interesting current example, in which opinion is divided, centres on the relative educational benefits and ‘harm’ for children if they miss periods of schooling in order to travel with their families, perhaps overseas to meet members of their wider family. section 4.5