Working hand-in-hand with parents

At Gateway, one of our key aims is to communicate effectively with parents in order support each child’s development. As part of this commitment, we meet with parents to discuss targets and progress and we share “My Best” successes by sending home certificates and displaying work on the outside notice boards. We also provide parents with our curriculum overviews each term.

I have recently had the pleasure of speaking to parents at our Year 1 Curriculum Guidance meeting and sitting in on the Year 2 meeting. The focus of these meetings is to share our teaching approach with parents. Providing insight into the types of activities we are using to teach the children and the strategies we are teaching the children is very important.

Feedback from the meetings indicate to us that parents appreciate being given an insight into what happens in the classroom and they enjoy the practical examples given, particularly in Maths, and feel better equipped to support their children with homework.

Research suggests that parental involvement in a child’s education is the most accurate predictor of academic achievement. At Gateway, we want to do everything we can to ensure each child’s success. The benefits to the child are significant; improved self-esteem, social skills and behaviour, as well as academic achievements are evident when teachers and parents work effectively together to support children's learning.