NPC Conference NPC Conference

June 2014

The impactThe impactof parental engagement onof parental engagement onchildren’s development and children’s development and

achievementachievement

Professor Charles Desforges OBE

OverviewOverview

What is at stake

What are the key challenges - parents - staff

What to do leadershipbasicshome learning environment

What works

lo ach hi

Factors shaping educationalFactors shaping educationaloutcomesoutcomes

▫ child’s characteristics

▫ family characteristics

▫ parental involvement

▫ school quality

▫ community

▫ peer group

▫ family support services

Teenage outcomesTeenage outcomesand socio-economicsand socio-economics

Poorest Richest 25% 25%

5 GCSE(A* to C inc Ma & Eng) 20% 75%

NEET at 17 15% 2%

Truant at 14 24% 8%

Explaining the link: major factorsExplaining the link: major factors

- parents’ attitudes and behaviours

- material resources

- young person’s attitudes and behaviours

“What parents do is more important than who they are”

Effects of parents/effect of schoolsEffects of parents/effect of schools

achievement parents / school effects

age 7 0.29 / 0.05

age 11 0.27 / 0.21

age 16 0.14 / 0.51

from Sacker et al (2002)

Factors in parentingFactors in parenting

warmth

consistency

authoritative style

skill

hle

Barriers to parental involvementBarriers to parental involvement

▫ extreme poverty and social chaos

▫ substance abuse

▫ depression

▫ the difficult relationship

▫ lack of confidence or knowledge

▫ alternative values

▫ barriers set up by schools

Challenges to modern parentingChallenges to modern parenting

Changes in: relationships

social networks

working circumstances

children’s power

finances

Implications for leadershipImplications for leadership

strategy for parent support

analysis

vision

personalisation

resourcing

partnerships

MER

LeadershipLeadership

▫ driven by ‘families matter’ vision

▫ whole school approach

▫ proactive

▫ outcomes focussed

▫ capacity building (capacity = motivation x skill x opportunity)

Excellent basics 1Excellent basics 1 Ofsted (2011) Schools and Parents

▫ values: parents as partners

▫ training

▫ planning

▫ evaluation

Excellent basics 2Excellent basics 2

▫ communication : front of house

: information

assessment and progress

attendance and behaviour

▫ consultation

▫ complaints

FundamentalFundamental

home learning environment

Toolkit neededToolkit needed

▫ identify parent needs

▫ audit current work

▫ identify useful initiatives

▫ develop action plan

▫ evaluation

▫ engage with other organisations

Good practice in family learningGood practice in family learning (Ofsted 2009)

leadership

targeting and recruitment

specifically designed programmes

focus on building … confidencecommunication skillsliteracy/numeracy

Lessons from researchLessons from research (Goodall and Vorhaus: 2011)

best programmes train academic and parenting skills

best effects: effect size

parents helped to read to child 0.18

parents helped to listen to child read 0.51

parents helped to teach specific reading skills 1.15

ReferencesReferences

Allen, G. (2011) Early Intervention: the next steps (an independent report to HM Government, Jan 2011)

Estyn (2009) Good practice in parental involvement

Field, F. (2010) The foundation years: preventing poor children becoming poor adults (the report of the independent review on poverty and life chances) (www.frankfield.co.uk)

Goodall, J., and Vorhaus, J. (2011) Review of best practice in parental engagement London, DfE, RR DfE-RR156

Lexmond, J., Bazalgette, L., and Margo, J (2011) It is time to be honest about what good parenting involves: the home front. Demos (www.demos.co.uk)

Ofsted (2011) - Schools and parents

www.c4eo.org.uk

www.nationalcollege.org.uk Leadership for parental engagement

Charles DesforgesCharles Desforges

c.w.desforges@exeter.ac.uk