Parent forum: guidance and templates

Get advice on how to run a parent forum. Understand how you can use them to engage with your wider school community and how to get parents involved. Find everything you need to get set up, including a model terms of reference and a template agenda.

Last reviewed on 4 November 2022
School types: All · School phases: All
Ref: 45620
Contents
  1. Encourage parental engagement through a parent forum
  2. Allocate the organisation to a senior leader
  3. Decide how parents can get involved
  4. Set a code of conduct
  5. Advertise the forum to parents
  6. Consider accessibility when deciding the format and timings
  7. Share these top tips with the staff member responsible for the forum
  8. Examples from schools

Encourage parental engagement through a parent forum

Parent forums are a way for schools to encourage parents to get more involved in school life.

They're informal meetings where parents come together to raise issues, be consulted on school policy and give their views.

You can use parent forums to:

  • Learn about your school community and parental perspectives, context and history
  • Raise school awareness of parental views that otherwise wouldn't be heard
  • Consult on change, such as projects, policy proposals and local issues in the school community
  • Triangulate governor, parent and staff viewpoints
  • Gain support for school projects or goals
You might explore topics or issues such as:

Parent forums are informal and advisory. You aren’t obliged to act on what's discussed, but if you want parents to engage with the forum, it's best to show them you're taking the views

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