Getting Parents Involved

[Guest]

Hi all

 

Can I ask what you do as schools to get your parents in and involved in school life?

 

The reason I am asking is that I am going for the assistant head job at my school and getting parents on board is something I feel strongly about but I can't think of any 'outstanding' ideas to encourage this.

I have thought of the usual reading workshops etc which we do anyway. I would like some exciting ideas to put forward at my interview.

 

Also if anyone has got any other great ideas for assistant head interviews they would be greatly recivied!

 

If you can help that would be great.

 

Thank you

 

Becs

[Guest]

This may sound like a cop out, but have you thought about asking the parents for their ideas?

[Guest LornaW]

becs08 congrats on getting your interview!

 

I think when parents are wary of coming in it is sometimes becasue we are so often inviting them in to tell them what to do with their children!

 

I found that by asking for their advise or telling them I needed their expertise that they were more likely to come in and from their we got them hooked and eventually we could get a crowd to information evenings.

 

I heard a headteacher in the north say they found that lots of the children talked about their dogs so they asked the parents to bring in their dogs to show the children and then later can you come in and talk about looking after your dog, then can you come in and talk about feeding and excersising etc and it worked for them.

 

We tried by asking parents and grandparents if anyone could knit and this worked and then could anyone stitch and so we asked them to help us by making story bags and story boxes so they got together in the staffroom and could chat. It really did break down barriers and more and more of them come into school now.

 

Of course many schools have a parent room with coffee making facilities etc and all of this helps.

 

Not rocket science I am afraid but I just feel so many parents had bad experiences at school themselves that we need to nurture them and acknowledge what they can give us and what skills they have that we don't.

 

Lorna

[juliewilk]

Hi

 

I teach in a nursery attached to a school. We just had a family craft day where adults could come into school to make Easter crafts with their children. We only had 6 children where an adult didn't turn up out of 42 children. I teach in an area where we normally struggle to engage parents. The parents completed a simple feedback sheet and the only 'improvement' they suggested was that we do it more! We will dedfinitely do it again. It was a real success.

 

We only did this in nursery but I know of another school (where I pinched the idea from) where the whole school do this.

 

Hope this helps

Julie

[Guest]

What a good idea Lorna I really like it, I think I may try something similar, what could be a strating point do you think? x

[Guest]

I know this is slightly different but I'm a pre-school and we are in a predominately white town but as a pre-school have got a reputation for taking the ethnic section of our town, so we decided to do an international week. The idea was to celebrate our diversity, but we didn't really know what to celerate with. we came up with the one thing that every one likes and that is food.

We asked parents to bring in their child's favourite food. we ended up with so much food for tasting I think we put on pounds.

Those parents who brought in food were asked to write a list of the TOTAL ingredients in their dishes and asked for nuts to be avoided completely.

We had the most incredible dishes and the children loved tasting the different things, and they tasted practically everthing!!!!!

 

We are going to do it again, also the children came in their national costumes or their best clothes, it was the best week that we have ever done.

 

Food unites people in most places because we all have to eat!!!!

[Guest LornaW]

What a good idea Lorna I really like it, I think I may try something similar, what could be a strating point do you think? x

 

 

jennywreny I think the best thing is to see what your community is like and go from there as steph has done. I think the key is to value what they have. In your normal chat just see what interests them.

 

Lorna

[Guest]

Thanks for all your replies.

 

I think a little questionnaire out to parents to see what they think would be a great idea especially looking at talents the parents have.

 

As for food! We have an international week coming up at the end of this term so that might be a great idea for each year group to do.

 

Becs