How Effective Communication From School Can Improve Parental Engagement

 Edward Farmilo

A clear communication strategy can strengthen home-school links and improve pupils’ progress in school.

Research consistently shows that when parents and guardians are well-informed and actively involved in school life, children are more likely to be happy, engaged in their learning and motivated to succeed.

But how can schools share the right information, in the right way, to strengthen the vital home-school partnership and make it easier for families to support children’s learning from home?

Identify and close the information gaps

Let’s imagine a fictitious pupil who we’ll call Charlie. He has always enjoyed maths, but he’s suddenly stopped handing in his homework and his teacher has noticed he’s become increasingly unsettled in class. These events might result in the school sending an email home to inform Charlie’s parents that he has received three behaviour alerts this week.

Receiving this information out of the blue could catch Charlie’s family off guard or leave them feeling confused and worried about why he has started to struggle.

Reactive approaches to communicating with parents can cause frustration on all sides. They may lead to tension at home and in school, with little chance of a pupil’s teachers or family members being able to identify or resolve the issue that’s caused their change in behaviour.

But with a few small changes, parental communication can be more productive and supportive to help children make progress and boost their enjoyment of learning.

Why two-way parental communication matters

Let’s examine the scenario again but this time, instead of jumping straight to a behaviour report, Charlie’s teacher arranges a quick chat with the parents to update them on what’s been going on and ask if they’ve noticed anything at home that could explain the change in his behaviour. During this conversation, they might mention a new job which requires them to work away for part of the week. The change has disrupted normal household routines and left little time for supervising homework.

Knowing this enables the school to put some extra maths support in place and provide a quiet space in school where Charlie can catch up with missed assignments. His family might then be able to rework their schedule to free up time to help with homework.

Sharing the right information at the right time can clear up misunderstandings and help parents and teachers to provide the support children need to make good progress in school.

The way schools communicate with parents, and how often, matters too.

Know how parents want to be kept informed

In every school, there are families who appreciate regular updates about their child’s reading or reminders about upcoming school trips via a mobile app. Quick text reminders about events such as non-uniform days can be helpful too. Others might prefer a weekly email or phone call to keep them up to date – anything more and they feel information overload.

The challenge for schools is to keep parents informed and engaged without overwhelming them or creating unnecessary workload for staff. School systems can be set up to send routine updates out automatically, which can save time, but it’s important to try and avoid sending generic messages that may come across as impersonal or irrelevant.

Schools that ask what information families find most useful, and how they prefer to receive it, are far more likely to get parental communication right. A short survey at the start of a new academic year can help shape a school or trust-wide communication strategy that will give parents the information they need to support their child’s learning and increase engagement overall.

Making a difference

The impact of improved parental engagement on pupils’ progress can be significant. But family life can be busy, with many competing responsibilities. It’s not always easy for parents to stay involved. That’s why schools need a clear picture of the challenges they face in supporting their child and help them engage in a way that works for them.

For pupils like Charlie, repeated sanctions rarely lead to lasting change. What makes the real difference is timely, purposeful communication that enables parents and schools to work more closely together to understand what it is that’s holding a child back. Action can then be taken – both inside and outside the school gates – to remove the barriers to their success.

Five key communication strategies for effective parental engagement:

1. Be proactive: Focus on proactive communication to keep parents informed and involved throughout the year.
2. Share ideas and strategies: Suggest practical activities parents can use at home to support their child’s learning.
3. Communicate throughout the school year: Time your communications around key moments in the school year to help parents support learning when it matters most.
4. Involve families early: When issues arise, ensure parents are informed and keep them regularly updated so they can work closely with the school to resolve them.
5. Find out what details parents want: Ask parents what information matters to them and tailor the content and format of your communication to their preferences.

Edward Farmilo is a former teacher and senior leader for education at VenturEd Solutions.