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Parental Participation in Schools
 

School - Home Links

Scotland

Austria

Belgium
(Flemish Community)

France

Italy

Netherlands

Portugal
All schools must provide parents with a comprehensive school handbook. This should provide important information about the school’s work such as:
  • the aims and the steps being taken to help meet them;
  • the organisational structure and arrangements for daily routines;
  • advice on helping the school promote positive attitudes to issues such as dress and ethos; and
  • details of pupils’ recent attainment in national examinations.

A wide range of other initiatives by education authorities and schools are well established and wide and varied in character. They include:

  • newsletters explaining recent school events or how to help children with homework and studying;
  • letters explaining the curriculum and choices available;
  • meetings with parents to explain how the curriculum is taught and to help them support their children’s learning e.g. early reading;
  • working in partnership with parents to establish the school’s approach to teaching health and safety issues, such as drug education;
  • informal contacts with parents to provide early warning of poor progress or behaviour, and over sensitive issues where parents could find a formal approach threatening; or
  • open sessions for children and parents to encourage those who may feel intimidated by schools or teachers to visit classrooms to see their children at work; and
  • visits by home-school link personnel who liaise with parents and the school and help in the pastoral care of children.
 The Ministry of Education provided every school with a series of Information on School Law brochures which explain to parents, in plain language, the most important legal regulations covering education. The Vienna school authority introduced a system of consultant teachers and psychologically-trained personnel to act as mediators among schools, parents and social work services. While teachers are not allowed to visit homes in Austria, parents can visit schools at any time. Key features of school-home links are as follows.
  • Class-forum and teachers’ meetings with parents provide formal home-school links.
  • In heavily-industrialised areas with high proportions of immigrant workers, schools act as the main inter-cultural locations.
  • For migrants’ children, additional support is offered both in class and through special lessons to help inclusion within Austria and re-integration with their homeland.

Turkish, Croatian and Serbian children receive lessons in their own language, following the curriculum of their countries. The teachers involved provide very important home-school links.

 The Department of Education, Ministry of the Flemish Community, has launched a community project called KLASSE. This regular publication encourages the involvement of parents, pupils and teachers in educational issues.

Individual initiatives by education authorities and schools have mainly centred on:

  • school reports;
  • additional support for migrants’ children both in class and through special lessons to help integration within Belgium (Flemish Community) and re-integration with their homeland;
  • school newspapers to parents;
  • information meetings, for example, linked to educational outings;
  • open days in school; and

school parties, social events or sports meetings.

 Home-school links tend to focus on information and decision-making about pupils’ progress, suitable courses or class placement, and career preparation.
  • Schools regularly communicate information on pupils’ progress and attainment through school reports and a correspondence booklet.
  • Schools provide details of national test results at ages 8, 11 and 15 and the relative position of pupils in the class.
  • Parents are represented in class councils in secondary schools.

The 1989 Education Act explicitly stated that parents’ right to receive advice and information is fundamental. Headteachers must organise information for pupils and parents within the framework of the school development plan. A headteacher must negotiate and discuss selection decisions with pupils and parents to reduce the number of complaints by parents. Appeals committees include parental representation. Parental approval must be sought if the school wishes a pupil to repeat one year.

 Parents are consulted on textbooks and on social and cultural activities. They are provided with an annual report and their views are sought on school time and disciplinary sanctions. It is planned to issue parents with School Guides from 1999. The National Parents’ Association:
  • has published a Schooling together calendar,
  • is presently studying a Transparent school model ; and
  • has run projects on Contract Parents and Home-school Contracts.
 Parent’s representation has increased at several levels (local, regional, national), but had no decision making powers until 1998. The Ministry of Education’s recent legislation promotes collaboration and partnership between schools and their communities and education authorities. Schools and communities are already working to actively promote the participation of parents, the organisation of parents, and the organisation of parent’s associations.

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