Home Visits Underpinning Legislation

[Jo jo]

Does anyone know if there is any legislation relating to home visits? is it compulsary for schools to carry them out? Is it up to the school or the local authority? Is there any research avaliable relating to the benefits of home visits been search the internet for hours can't find anything about home visits! Please help

[Susan]

Hi Jojo

no legislation as far as Im aware although it might be seen as good policy. I can certainly recommend it although I would always say go with a partner.

Parents as partners, I think is the jargon!

[Guest]

We always do home visits in the summer before our Year R come to school. We feel that they are extremely beneficial to see the child in their home environment and the child will always remember when we came to their house. We always go in twos, a TA to work with the child while the teacher talks to the parents.

[Guest]

Most of the R children come through our school nursery first. The nursery teacher and TA carry out home visits at the beginning of the autumn term and the parent and child are invited for an individual appointment at the very beginning of term so we can talk over any routines/concerns and the child gets another look at the classroom/cloakroom befire starting. I had wondered about repeating school visits for R children, but we decided to do something slightly different for the parent/child whilst still giving a time for us and the parent/child to share information.

[Marion]

there was research published by the qca saying that parents found home visits valuable but dont think theres any legislation

[hali]

agree with the others no legislation but definitely beneficial

[Susan]

I meant good practise not good policy although I suppose it might be that as well!

[JacquieL]

Yes good practice and good policy, but not a statutory requirement. We did these just before they started in nursery. We didn't do them for reception as they knew the school and the staff and by then we knew the child.

I think that they are most beneficial. The child meets you on familiar ground, and if we saw the child had a particular interest, for example was playing with trains, or dressed up as a fairy, we put similar items out when they started. That does really work. A girl we had who was playing faires at home, played with a fairy-like costume every session when she first arrived and then went off to something else- then after a week or two this gradually stopped as she made friends and became interested in other things, but we felt that it helped her settle in.

We take a starter pack with a small book, pencil, scissors and paper for the child. I have found parents will tell you things at home that they are less likley to share at first on school premises. With our parents from ethnic minorities I felt it really helped to make a good relationship. I think that i have only had two parents refuse a visit over the years.

[Jo jo]

Thanks everyone

[Guest]

Jo Jo

 

I don't know how to do links but I asked a question about home visits sometime ago and had some feedback from helpful people here too. I seem to remember a link to a former query as well. May be someone who knows how to do it could help, or alternatively put it into the search.

 

AOB

[StrawberyTwirl]

Hi Jo jo, have a look at books by Margy Whalley, she is a guru of working with parents and writes at length about home visits in both of her books I have looked at.

 

Strawbs