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Engaging parents
11 articles
Building relationships with parents
- Engaging parents with EAL: strategies Use our practical strategies to engage effectively with parents who have English as an additional language (EAL). Help them become a part of the school community and provide support for them and their children.
- Get your community on board with your approach to anti-racism Not all school communities will be eager to talk about racism and racial justice. Find out how you can encourage resistant members of your community to engage with any anti-racism work you’re doing.
- Headteacher's welcome presentation to parents Whether you're a new headteacher or an existing head welcoming new parents, find out what to include in your welcome presentation and get advice on other ways you can introduce yourself to parents and pupils.
- Home-school agreements You aren't required to have a home-school agreement. But if you still want one, read this article to see examples from other schools.
- Home visits in the EYFS Find out when and how to conduct home visits in the EYFS, with guidance and examples of how schools carry out visits.
- How to make your holiday celebrations inclusive Find out how to include pupils from all religious backgrounds, whichever holidays or festivals you're celebrating. Our tips will help you be respectful of other traditions and avoid conflict with parents.
- Parental engagement strategies: advice and case studies How can we engage with reluctant parents? We relay expert advice on building relationships with parents and engaging with those who are harder to reach. You will also find case studies from 5 schools looking at different approaches, and ideas for reaching parents through the local community.
- Relationships and sex education: consultation toolkit Requirements for RSE are changing. If you're updating your curriculum or policy and still haven't carried out consultations with parents, pupils or staff, we have tips and resources to help you get it done remotely.
- RSE: handling objections from parents The new RSE requirements are a sensitive subject and you might have to field objections even after the consultation period has ended. Learn about the most common objections and how to handle them.
- Welcome material for parents: EYFS Are there welcome handbooks for parents of children in the EYFS? This article highlights welcome booklets and packs for parents of nursery and reception age children. These explain school routines, the curriculum, and ways in which parents can prepare children for school and support their learning.
- Written communication with parents Get tips on how to communicate with parents in writing. Find out the pros and cons of moving to a paperless method of written communication, and see examples of communication policies and procedures.
6 articles
Information and guidance for parents
- Head lice: communication with parents How should we deal with an outbreak of head lice? We link to guidance on how to respond to an outbreak of head lice, including advice on contacting parents. We also highlight examples of school procedures for contacting parents.
- KS1 and KS2 SATs results: information for parents Download our Parent Pamphlet which explains how the results of KS1 and KS2 SATs are reported, and covers scaled scores. You'll also find examples of guidance for parents from the government and schools.
- Parent pack template Get your parents up to speed early this term with our template parent pack. Let them know about essential school information and where to go when they have questions so you can save time throughout the year.
- Pupil social media use: advice for parents Is there guidance for parents on social media? We link to advice for parents on how to ensure their child is using social media safely and appropriately. You will also find resources such as a leaflet, a slideshow presentation, a glossary of ‘teen speak’ and letters to adapt and send to parents.
- School uniform policy: guidance Be clear on what you and your board need to consider when setting your uniform policy. Find out how to avoid discrimination to make sure your policy is fair and inclusive to all pupils in your school.
- The Prevent strategy: information for parents Download and share our pamphlet on Prevent to share with parents, and see examples from schools of how they've kept parents in the loop about what the strategy means to them.
20 articles
Letters to parents
- Absence, attendance and punctuality: template letters to parents When your school is fully open again, use our template letters to help you address attendance issues such as unauthorised absence and poor punctuality. See examples of letters from primary and secondary schools, and find out how to adapt your letters for pupils with special educational needs (SEN).
- Administering medicines: notification letters to parents Is there a letter notifying parents that medicine has been given to their child? We link to examples of letters from schools informing parents that their child has been given medicine. We also link to a template form from the DfE and further guidance on administering medicines to pupils.
- End-of-term gift-giving: template letter to parents At certain times of the year, parents and pupils may wish to give your staff a little something to show their appreciation. Use our template letter to let them know what's appropriate, and find out how to keep exchanges safe in light of coronavirus.
- GDPR: updating parents Download and adapt our template letter to update parents about the GDPR and the changes you’re making to prepare.
- Headteacher leaving letters: examples Telling parents that you're leaving your school is an important message to get right. Use the advice from our expert and examples from schools in this article to help inform your letter to parents.
- Letters inviting parents to meetings Are there any letters inviting parents into school for a meeting? In this article, we point to letters from schools which invite parents to attend parents' evening, as well as meetings about a recent Ofsted inspection result and upcoming National Curriculum tests.
- Letters to aggressive parents Are there model letters to parents who have been aggressive towards staff? We highlight model letters from 3 schools and the DfES, a predecessor to the Department for Education. You will also find links to related articles on dealing with offensive or threatening behaviour.
- Lockdown procedures: informing parents and pupils Follow our guidance when discussing lockdown procedures with your pupils. Download our template letter to parents and read examples of letters from primary and secondary schools.
- New headteachers' letters to parents Use our template to create a new headteacher's letter to send to your parents. Read advice on what the letter should cover, and see an example of a letter sent by a new head in another school.
- Newsletters: template and what to include Use our template to create your own newsletter. Also, find tips on the what the contents of a newsletter should be, and how best to write and distribute it.
- Nut-free schools: letters to parents Find examples of notices you can send to parents to let them know about your school's no-nuts approach if you have pupils with allergies.
- One-page profiles: letters to parents Do you have examples of letters to parents about one-page profiles? This article sets out information on one-page profiles, and highlights letters explaining them to parents. We also highlight a school that used a twilight session to introduce one-page profiles to parents.
- Online safety: resources for parents Help parents keep their children safe online with these resources. Download parent factsheets on Fortnite and YouTube, see examples of letters to parents, and read our tips on working with parents with EAL.
- Parent governor elections: ballot letters Are there examples of ballot letters for parent governor elections? We link to examples of letters accompanying ballot papers for parent governor elections in primary and secondary schools. We also link to model letters from local authorities, and relay advice on what to include in this type of letter.
- Parent governor vacancies: informing parents Are there examples of letters inviting parents to become governors? We highlight examples of letters and online announcements about parent governor vacancies from primary, secondary and special schools. You will also find model letters you can adapt, and guidance aimed at parent governors.
- Poor behaviour: letters to parents Download our template letters you can send to parents about poor pupil behaviour. See also examples from schools.
- Pupil premium and FSM registration: template letter to parents Boost your pupil premium funding with our template letter that encourages parents to register their children for free school meals (FSM).
- Residential trips: examples of letters to parents Read examples of letters about residential trips from primary and secondary schools and a template letter from a MAT. You'll also find links to our articles on charging, supervision and health and safety.
- Staffing changes: letters to parents Are there examples of letters informing parents of a change of teacher? In this article, we link to letters from primary and secondary schools written to notify parents of staffing changes. You will also find examples of school newsletters informing parents of revised staffing arrangements.
- Year 1 phonics screening check: letters to parents Are there examples of letters to parents about the phonics screening check? We link to examples of letters from primary schools informing parents about the year 1 phonics screening check. We also refer to a booklet for parents from the DfE, which explains how the check works.
3 articles
Parental consent and responsibility
- Educational visits: do we need parental consent? Find out which trips require parental consent and who can give this consent, including advice on separated parents. Plus, download our consent form to send to parents.
- Intimate care: agreements and consent forms Are there examples of intimate care plans and agreements? We link to template intimate care plans from a local authority and an academy trust. We also refer to parental agreements and consent forms for providing intimate care, including washing and changing pupils after soiling.
- Multi-purpose parental consent forms Use our multi-purpose parental consent form covering consent for on-site activities, administering non-prescription medicines, emergency release and communication preferences. Find links to DfE parental consent forms that you can use for off-site activities and prescription medicines, and see examples of consent forms used by other schools.
4 articles
PTAs and events for families
- Here's what to consider before running your event Be confident you've got everything covered before your school event so it runs smoothly. Get up to speed with what you can charge for, how to keep on top of health and safety, whether you need a licence or event notice, and how to manage data protection around photos and videos taken at the event.
- Parent teacher associations: guidance Learn about how to set up and run a PTA, and registering it as a charity. Find information on increasing parental involvement with PTAs, and take a look at examples of PTAs from primary, secondary and special schools.
- Poll results: parents taking photos at festive events Should parents be allowed to take photos of their own children at school events?
- Posters: rules for school events Use our posters to remind parents and visitors about important rules while they're on the school site for an event.
9 articles
Pupil reports and parents' evenings
- 5 hacks to reduce your pupil report workload See examples of time-saving report-writing strategies from other schools, alongside tips on how to improve your reporting processes.
- Effective parents’ evening conversations: advice for staff Is there any advice on effective subject consultation evening conversations? We relay advice from our experts on holding subject-specific parents' evening conversations. We also link to resources from Tes on having conversations at parents’ evenings.
- EYFS: how to report to parents All early years providers must report to parents. Find out what you need to include in the report, and use our template to help you write it.
- Free your teachers from report-writing frenzy: a case study Hazelbury Primary School has replaced traditional end-of-year reports with pupil-authored learning journals. Teachers have better work-life balance, the headteacher saves over 400 hours a year and parents get all the information they need. Here's how you could achieve this too.
- Mid-year reports to parents You can send pupil reports to parents throughout the year, rather than just annually. Learn about your requirements and what to include in a mid-year or end-of-term report.
- Parent consultation evenings: requirements You're required to provide at least 1 opportunity per year for parents to discuss pupil progress with a teacher. Get guidance on how you might do this.
- Pupil reports to parents: checklist and templates Use our checklist to make sure your annual reports meet statutory requirements, and see what extra information you need to include at the end of KS1 and KS2. Download our templates and adapt them to suit your needs.
- Pupil reports to parents in a PRU For PRUs, reporting to parents doesn't have to be a difficult task. Read expert advice on what you should include and see how others do it.
- Pupil reports: using 'emerging', 'expected' and 'exceeding' (primary) Is there guidance on using the terms 'emerging', 'expected' and 'exceeding' in reports to parents? This article relays advice on using these terms to report pupils' progress to parents, and features a report template in this format. You will also find a case study from schools using this system.
11 articles
Resolving issues with parents
- 5 tips for effective parent communication Use these tips to help improve communication with parents in your school.
- Aggressive parents: zero tolerance posters Find examples of posters to remind visitors and parents that aggressive behaviour will not be tolerated. Also find letters you can send to aggressive parents and other abusive visitors.
- Banning parents or visitors from premises: letters You can bar a parent or a visitor from your school premises. Find out how to do this in writing, and get examples of letters you can send to barred individuals.
- Complaints procedures: guidance (academies) UpdatedGet to grips with what your complaints procedure needs to include, and how to go about following it.
- Complaints procedures: guidance (maintained) UpdatedGet to grips with the DfE's best practice advice on managing school complaints, and learn what to consider as you develop your complaints procedures.
- Handling requests to withdraw pupils on religious grounds If parents wish to withdraw their child from a subject due to their faith, read our article for help with finding a compromise.
- Parents complaining about other parents and children How can we respond to parents' complaints about other families? In this article, we relay advice from two of our associate education experts on meeting with parents and responding to their complaints about other parents and children. We also link to examples of policies and letters from schools.
- Parents recording conversations with staff Data protection legislation does not apply to parents recording meetings for their own personal use. Find out how you can deal with parents who want to record conversations.
- Persistent or aggressive complaints from parents How can we deal with persistent and aggressive complaints from parents? We relay advice on resolving complaints informally, as well as how to handle persistent complaints and deal with parents who act aggressively. You will find guidance on when to decide to stop responding to a complainant.
- Separated parents: rights and responsibilities All parents have a right to participate in decisions about their child's education. Understand what your school has a responsibility to do, and how to avoid common conflicts.
- Social media: how to deal with negative comments or behaviour by parents Use our internet acceptable use agreement to help prevent inappropriate social media use by parents and to make your school's expectations clear. Get tips on how to deal with incidents and problems online, and download our template letters to parents.