Getting Past ‘Us and Them’ – Is your school using its PTA effectively?
Emma Williams, executive director of PTA UK, discusses how Parent Teacher Associations can help foster better good communications, and in turn bring about better educational outcomes… According to a recent survey by PTA UK, over 85% of parents want a say in their child’s education, while some 79% say they want to actively support their […]
Emma Williams, executive director of PTA UK, discusses how Parent Teacher Associations can help foster better good communications, and in turn bring about better educational outcomes…
According to a recent survey by PTA UK, over 85% of parents want a say in their child’s education, while some 79% say they want to actively support their child’s school. Those figures suggest there is an appetite for schools to engage parents in improving school life, determining priorities and policies and supporting learning at home.
One way to build the home/school relationship is by supporting and working with a PTA. As well as playing an important role in fundraising, PTAs can reach a wide range of parents, promote opportunities to get involved, and help build a school’s ethos and community.
Over half of those parents surveyed felt that their child’s school was currently good at communicating with them. While this is positive, there is still more that schools can and need to do in order to engage parents more effectively, starting with the following:
Come up with a plan Factor in time to plan your communications with parents. Think about what parents need to be informed about, how best to communicate with parents and when. Does your school need to assign a lead on communicating with parents to make sure your plan becomes a reality? Giving structure to your communications can help streamline the process and ensure that everyone feels they have an opportunity to make their voice heard.
Welcome feedback from parents Do you know how your pupils’ parents feel about the school? Do parents know how to support their children’s learning? Consider running regular surveys to gather feedback from parents. These could be written or online surveys, or conducted as focus groups. The findings will help build a clearer picture of the role parents can play within school life, and which areas you need to specifically engage with. Your plan could also seek to inform and consult parents in other ways, such as through evening meetings or via newsletters.
Work in partnership If one already exists, all parents will automatically join the PTA when their family comes into a school – so it makes sense to work with a proactive and well-connected group of parents. Some schools also have a parent council, which enables parents to meet, share ideas and feedback to the school. However your school chooses to involve the parent body, working in partnership with parents and giving them a voice will enable all schools to move forward together cohesively, building towards the better education of children.
PTA UK is the leading membership body for parent bodies across England, Wales and Northern Ireland representing nearly 14,000 associations. For more information, visit www.pta.org.uk or follow @PTAUK
