-By Amanda Walters
It is a proven fact that those children whose parents play an active role in their education do better at school, than those who show little or no interest. As headteachers it is important to do all we can to encourage more parental engagement, but it is often easier said than done.
For various reasons teaching staff are busier than ever: We rush through the day desperately trying to find a balance between our work and home responsibilities, sometimes forgetting that many parents face the exact same thing. Modern life is fast-paced and stressful, but it is also ever changing, with new technology evolving all the time to help make our lives easier.
School-to-home communication software, such as that developed by ParentMail, is an answer to prayer. Thanks to a range of apps, schools can now quickly update parents with news from around the school and upcoming events, via text or email. No longer do we have to rely on children taking important information and updates home on slips of paper in their book bags. We can now use technology to communicate and also record information about a child’s progress and behavior, sharing information with parents quickly and easily, improving parental engagement and consequently pupil success.
Study after study has proven how important it is for parents to be actively involved in their child’s education.
E.g. Did you know?
- A home environment that encourages learning is more important to student achievement than income, education level or cultural background
- Reading achievement is more dependent on learning activities in the home than maths or science. Reading aloud to children is the most important activity that parents can do to increase their child’s chance of reading success
- When children and parents talk regularly about school, children perform better academically
- The earlier that parent involvement begins in a child’s educational process, the more powerful the effects
- Positive results of parental involvement include improved student achievement, reduced absenteeism, improved behavior, and restored confidence among parents in their children’s schooling
The Department for Education and Skills also conducted research into the relationship between parental involvement and pupil achievement and uncovered several interesting facts.
You can read the whole report, here, but among the key findings were:
- Parental involvement has a significant, positive effect on a child’s achievement, especially in children of primary school age
- Primary school children’s education is improved more by increased parental involvement than by the quality of the school they attend
And, as if this wasn’t enough, software like ParentMail is also cost effective, saving schools considerable sums of money on paper and printing and staff time, by allowing parents to pay online for school lunches and trips. Parents can also book slots at parents’ evenings online and fill out permissions slips and surveys via the web – again cutting out the ‘middle man’.
One school, which has already taken advantage of the software, is Staindrop School, an academy in County Durham. Helen Overfield, the school’s finance manager explained:
“Using ParentMail saves the school a lot of money and makes collecting dinner money and obtaining parental consent so much easier. We are saving at least five hours of administration time every week and because a significant portion of cash is now being taken online we will save money by reducing our banking collection.”
So, what are you waiting for? Why not look into how this software can help your school, allowing busy teachers to have more time to do what they love. . . teach.
This article was written by Amanda Walters, an experienced freelance writer and regular contributor to Huffington Post. Follow her here: @Amanda_W84
