Bessacarr Primary School

Parent Network

Our parent network is small group of voluntary parents, staff and supporters of the school. The main objective of our group is to enhance the outdoor learning environment at Bessacarr Primary. We have made a start with this by purchasing new outdoor activities for the children, acquiring donations of tyres which were then painted and placed around the school field. We have raised money for this through various events, including quiz nights and coffee mornings.

In May we held ‘project playground’ where a dedicated group of Parents, staff and friends of the school gave up a Saturday to do various jobs in our outdoor space.

Some more information regarding the parent network is available below.

What is a Parent Council or Parent Forum?

A Parent Council or Forum is a body which:

• enables parents to meet, share ideas and feed back to the school
• gives parents a voice and enables them to contribute to school decision making
• helps develop a partnership between parents and school
• consults parents and advises the school leadership and/or governing body of parents’ views.

Research

Key findings

• Parental involvement has a significant effect on pupil achievement throughout the years of schooling
• Educational failure is increased by lack of parental interest in schooling
• Engaging hard to reach parents has a disproportionately positive effect on student learning and student achievement
• A father’s interest in a child’s schooling is strongly linked to better educational outcomes for the child
• In a recent study in England 72% of parents said that they wanted more involvement

Details of key research studies on parental involvement are included in a DCSF leaflet entitled The Impact of Parental Involvement on Children’s Education. This is available at www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationDetail/Page1/DCSF-00924-2008

ISBN: 978-1-84775-252-9

Review of Best Practice in Parental Engagement – Department for Education Research Report RR156 is available from the Department for Education – www.education.gov.uk