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Parental Participation in Schools
 
How to attract or encourage the support of parents
 
Portugal: How parents make a school
 
Gertrudes Amaro Instituto de Inovao Educacional
Joana Giao Instituto de Inovao Educacional
Vanda Menezes Instituto de Inovao Educacional
 
The case study that follows explains how the Parents' Association of Escola Primria de Vale Silves - Algarve was formed and how it has performed, as assessed by the educational community. The information is based on data from minutes of meetings and other school documents, and taken from interviews with the president of the Parents' Assocation, school teachers, parents, local authorities, ex-students and community representatives. The study was carried out between April and June 1998.
 
Vale Silves School and the Community
 
Vale Silves School is situated in the country of Loul in southern Portugal and part of a larger region, the Algarve. There are three main industries in the Algarve: tourism, agriculture and fishing. The population has been rising steadily due to migration from the interior zone to the coast.
 
Of the 270 primary schools in the Algarve region, 140 are one-teacher schools, 75 are two-teacher schools and 55 schools have three or more teachers. Vale Silves is in the Boliqueime area with about 4,000 inhabitants and 30 villages. The only school in the area is a primary school attended by approximately 50 children coming from 10 different villages. The catchment area serves 800 people. The growing local population is the result of work opportunities in local tourism, Portuguese in search of a better lifestyle and the arrival of a considerable number of people from across Europe, especially English, Swiss and Germans. There are some one-parent families, sometimes in situations of social isolation, a few instances of violence and occasional cases of drugs and drug-related problems.
 
In the early 90s, Vale Silves was described as being "a community of demotivated, uninterested and isolated people who were used to handling their own problems individually". At that time, Vales Silves School consisted of a low building, with two classrooms, a hall, a covered yard and an unpaved schoolyard. It was difficult to use the building effectively, as it was dirty with few facilities for lunch or a mid-afternoon snack.
 
Summary of progress since 1990
 
Parental intervention has made a difference. Since 1990, parents have been involved in improving the school building. For example, they:
  • widened the road leading to the school and built a fence;
  • helped to build and equip a kitchen;
  • arranged to have a phone in the school and a garbage collecting system; and
  • refurbished the toilets.
 
The school is therefore now very different in appearance from what it was in the early 90s. This case study explains the background to the work involved.
 
Background information: the School Population
 
Teachers and pupils
 
Primary teachers

2
Teachers of Handicapped children

2
Caretakers

3
Nursery school teacher

1
Pupils (approx)

50
 
Pupils' cultural diversity
 

Origin

Percentage
Local

52%
North of Portugal

6%
English

16%
Norwegian

2%
Gypsies

6%
Cape-Verdeans

18%
 
In addition to the staff, a great number of people offer assistance and co-operate with the school.
 
School collaborators
 
Nursery school teachers

2

paid by the local government
Support teachers

2

paid by the local government
Music teacher

1

paid by the local government
Sports teacher

1

 paid by the local government
Dance teacher

1

 paid by the local government
Free-time assistant teacher and cultural entertainer

1

 paid by the local government
Caretakers

2

 paid by the local government
Public health doctor

1

 volunteer
Economist

1

 volunteer
Architecture and engineering technician

1

 volunteer
Bank clerk

1

 volunteer
Social worker

1

 volunteer
Public health nurse

1

 volunteer
5th and 6th grade teacher

1

 volunteer
Computer and administrative technician

1

 volunteer
Administrative staff

2

 volunteer
Typist

1

 volunteer
Nursery caretakers

1

 Trainee (Loul's IEFP)
Domestic help

4

 volunteers
Local artisans

6

 senior citizens - volunteers
 
The Parents' Association
 
In 1991, some parents decided to form a Parents' Association (PA). They were aware of the legal capacity of such an association for helping to improve aspects of the school and consequently their children's education. Initial contacts were informal before parents began meeting in each other's houses to formalise the association. Informal meetings proved useful in identifying common needs and wishes of parents in terms of the school building and organisation. To achieve these, parents held extended meetings which included representatives of the local government, the City Council of Loul and DREA (Algarve's Regional Education Authorities). These bodies showed interest in the parents' ideas and encouraged them which proved a major boost for the new association.
 
In partnership with the local government, they carried out the work required to enlarge, repair and restore the building and build a canteen. The road leading to the school was widened and a fence built around the school for safety reasons. The PA, aware of the importance of nursery school, created a nursery room. The nursery was supported by the association until it became part of the national network. Future plans include a computer room.
 
Involvement in school and community
 
The PA wished to promote wider community involvement in the school. It therefore developed initiatives such as a Child Festival, Christmas Party and Carnival Party. These were successful in stimulating the participation of the whole community. Other initiatives aimed at improving the quality of school life included:
  • debates involving parents, pupils and teachers in the community on important issues, such as healthy food and family relationships;
  • courses on family relationships and the role of parents in their children's upbringing;
  • a focus on drug awareness and the safety of young people and parents;
  • reviving old traditions such as Festa do Buraco or roast chestnut festival;
  • music concerts aimed at developing the musical appreciation of pupils and their parents; and
  • organising, in partnership with the City Council of Loul and Loul's Music School, extra-curricular activities, such as helping pupils with their homework and music and dance lessons.
 
Senior citizens were also involved in the school meetings and extra curricular activities, for example, by sharing with children their expertise in traditions and handicraft.
 
Organising the resources
 
Solving the problems presented by a lack of human resources and skills has required constant help from the community. The human skills needed to accomplish the many projects were provided by the PA. However, financial resources were difficult to obtain and the PA had to find different ways of raising funds to support its activities. Using the building as the place where adults and old people socialise could only be achieved through partnerships among the school, the City Council and other authorities. The City Council provided payment for staff to support certain socio-cultural activities, for example, training seminars for adults. Other funds were raised through the PA's parties and meetings. The PA also contacted the City Council and the local government when in need of materials for building or preserving work, such as widening the road or mending the roof.
 
Management of the school fund and equipment funds is carried out by the parents themselves which helps to make the community responsible. For example, there are groups who manage free-time activities, the telephones and the canteen.
 
Leadership
 
For the president of the PA, the greatest problem has been the stability of teaching staff in the area. It is common for teachers to work in schools such as Vale Silves for only one year before gaining experience in large schools or different areas. Many teachers need a period of time to adapt to the high profile parental participation which characterises this school. Often, by the time parents and teachers have adapted to each other and starting working effectively together, the school year is over and the following year the process may need to start again.
 
The partnerships established provide the PA with access to special consultants, such as psychological services. The PA also plays a role in welcoming the parents whose children start school for the first time. During August, the PA tries to involve those parents in its activities and seeks suggestions for their organisation and involvement in the school. Sometimes such a strong link is created between all the participants that the parents keep on helping and working with the school after their children have left.
 
Educational Community: evaluations of the Vale Silves School partnership
 
Teachers
 
Primary School teachers
 
The PA tries to assist teachers by helping with school field trips, solving transportation problems, providing the school with materials (where funds are insufficient) and organising extra-curricular activities.
 
The primary school teacher was very positive about the association's work. In spite of having to live away from home, she enjoyed teaching at Vale Silves. The PA's involvement, despite occasional conflicts, allowed her to work effectively and with the support of the community.
 
Nursery School teachers
 
The nursery school teacher responsible for the nursery room in the school was delighted with the resources available to her. She appreciated the unconditional help from parents.
 
Support teachers
 
Support teachers highlighted the safe and happy atmosphere which characterises the school. However, they did note a weakness in discussions about some pupils with learning difficulties and methods they proposed to help meet the pupils' needs.
 
Parents
 
Parents are naturally the fundamental partners in this association. Their opinions have to be heard, assessed and acted on. Parents who had moved to the area from across Europe and therefore experienced other cultures and communities were mostly very positive. Initial fears about their children attending a Portuguese state-run school disappeared when they understood how the school worked. They noted the support given to their children to overcome any difficulties, particularly mastering the language, and also the way the school itself functions in terms of access to computers, extra-curricular activities and canteen facilities.
 
The importance of teamwork developed by all partners was also highlighted and contributed to the safe atmosphere where everyone was treated equally. The involvement of senior citizens was also valued and enabled traditional skills to be shared with children.
 
Parental interest in their children's attainment and progress is reflected in the extra-curricular activities they organise. For example, the 'Guided Study' project allowed all parents whose working hours were not compatible with the school timetable to have their children supervised in classes until 7 p.m. by two assistant teachers paid by the PA.
 
Other community groups
 
Former pupils
 
Former pupils pointed to improvements in the work and wider use of the school as a result of the parents' participation. They noted the:
  • building of new rooms and road;
  • increased safety;
  • welcoming atmosphere; and
  • new mid-afternoon breaks.
 
Enthusiasm for the partnership has been so important that some pupils have continued to collaborate in school activities, becoming a part of the great number of community members who participate and co-operate whenever possible.
 
Community adults
 
The PA achieved its goal of bringing the community and school together by developing weekend activities which could involve everyone. These include evening classes and meetings and organising parties. Those who take part find it enriches their social lives, and enables them to learn old traditions and arts.
 
All, regardless of age, have shown their commitment and enthusiasm for developing a better school and promoting relationships amongst the wider community. This has given them a feeling of self-satisfaction and belonging.
 
EBI (the school where pupils continue their studies after 4th grade)
 
The EBI's headteacher noted that the rich parental participation has transformed the Vale Silves School. In contrast to other associated primary schools, the parents were actually involved in areas which traditionally had belonged to the educational staff, such as choosing the topic for rea-Escola (a cross-curricular subject).
 
The headteacher feels that the projects organised by the PA at Vale Silves school have helped improve the pupils' attainment. On entering the EBI, the Vale Silves pupils displayed above average knowledge and skills, and high levels of personal and social development.
 
DREA
 
DREA (Algarve's Regional Educational Department) considers the work in Vale Silves as a good example of parental participation. Vale Silves School is highly regarded by all the surrounding educational community. The partnership has the approval of DREA. This is important, for example, when resolving issues such as occasional conflicts with new teachers who may have difficulty accepting the strong community involvement in this school.
 
DREA wishes to promote the Vale Silves project as a model of good practice. The school has similar characteristics to most primary schools in the area yet has overcome many difficulties to form a dynamic, committed and influential PA.
 
Loul's Local Authority
 
The representatives of Loul's Local Authority view the PA as a bridge between the school and the local government. The authority therefore often promotes the PA initiatives, supporting it strategically and financially.
 
Along with DREA, the authority's representatives consider the PA's involvement as very high profile and the benchmark for other schools in the area.
 

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