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Engaging with parents

Discussion in 'Governors' started by NatashaRolls, Jan 11, 2016.

  1. NatashaRolls

    NatashaRolls New commenter

    Can anyone suggest how to engage with parents, particularly hard to reach families. As a governing body, this is an area we have highlighted, which needs addressing and would welcome any ideas.
    neddyfonk likes this.
  2. Middlemarch

    Middlemarch Star commenter

    Just to clarify - you don't mean the governors themselves doing the 'engaging', do you?
  3. neddyfonk

    neddyfonk Lead commenter

    Governors are supposed to seek parents views and that is what I do at any event I attend where parents are present. I have also accompanied the attendance officer ( not EWO) on home visits to understand the problems of engaging with the 'difficult to engage'. Gone are the days when governors were expected to be unseen / unheard backroom dwellers.
  4. digoryvenn

    digoryvenn Lead commenter

    Governors seek parents views through analysis of questionnaires sent out.
    Seeking parents views as an individual governor may not give you an 'objective view' of the school.
    Governors have a strategic role, not an operational role.
  5. neddyfonk

    neddyfonk Lead commenter

    You cannot tailor a questionnaire to suit different people - you need to interact. This has nothing to do with operational things it is a direct route to finding things out that may lead to a question at a meeting. Even simple things like asking a parent what things their child enthuses about when they get home can be enlightening.
  6. mystery10

    mystery10 Occasional commenter

    I would start by asking the parents and do something that is truly anonymous where they can say whatever they like about themes you have chosen and anything else they might wish to raise relating to the school and their child's education within it - not one of those sterile agree or disagree type questionnaires.

    How are you defining "hard to reach" families? Hard to reach about what by what method?
  7. neddyfonk

    neddyfonk Lead commenter

  8. neddyfonk

    neddyfonk Lead commenter

    "Hard to reach" are those parents that avoid contact with the staff at school. They rarely attend school events or parents evening. They will not respond to requests and often refuse to answer their phone or open their door to people they do not want to speak to.
  9. NatashaRolls

    NatashaRolls New commenter

    Thank you for your thoughts and ideas, we are considering a variety of options and I will feed back to the Governing body

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