2. RESEARCH ANDPOLICY REVIEWAbout this reviewThis section describes and analyses currentresearch evidence pertinent to <strong>the</strong> issuesaround <strong>home</strong>-<strong>school</strong> <strong>relationship</strong>s andparental engagement. It summarisesrelevant research in this field and providesan introduction to <strong>the</strong> central issues anddebates. It concludes by making a case forconsidering <strong>the</strong> implications of <strong>home</strong>-<strong>school</strong><strong>relationship</strong>s for children’s learning in <strong>the</strong>widest sense, both in and out of <strong>school</strong>, and for<strong>the</strong> acknowledgement of children’s central andactive role in that <strong>relationship</strong>.Page 01
2.1 POLICY CONTEXTParental engagement in children’s learning iscurrently a high priority for <strong>school</strong>s’ policy. The“21st century <strong>school</strong>s” white paper confirmsthis with <strong>the</strong> proposal of a ‘Parent Guarantee’that cements an expectation that parents willbe involved in <strong>the</strong>ir children’s education throughunderstanding <strong>the</strong>ir child’s learning prioritiesand needs, understanding <strong>the</strong>ir responsibilitiesto help <strong>the</strong>ir child progress, as well as receivinginformation from <strong>school</strong> about <strong>the</strong>ir child’sprogress and any additional needs andspecial provision.Digital technologies are heavily implicatedin policies that seek to connect <strong>home</strong> and<strong>school</strong> and raise parental engagement, seenin <strong>the</strong> Home Access initiative and OnlineReporting expectations.The Home Access initiative aims to remove<strong>the</strong> barriers to <strong>using</strong> computer and internettechnologies to support children’s learning at<strong>home</strong>, by providing financial support for thosewho need it and campaigning to promote <strong>the</strong>benefits of technologies for learning to familieswho choose not to buy or use technologies tosupport learning. Home Access to computersis thought to be able to improve parentalengagement and streng<strong>the</strong>n <strong>home</strong>-<strong>school</strong> linksby providing opportunities to use technologies tosupport learning in <strong>the</strong> <strong>home</strong>, providing a meansof communication between <strong>school</strong> and <strong>home</strong>and access to <strong>school</strong> resources via learningplatforms or websites. Low income families inEngland can apply for grants to buy a computerand internet package from a range of suppliers.Packages include service and support, ane-safety guide and pre-set parental controls tofilter content, as well as office and anti-virussoftware. It is hoped that <strong>the</strong> Home Accessscheme will, amongst o<strong>the</strong>r benefits,see improved learning for children andincreased involvement of parents in <strong>the</strong>irchildren’s learning.An evaluation of <strong>the</strong> Home Access pilotstudy found that learners used Home Accesscomputers for a wide range of purposesincluding education, entertainment andfinance, appreciated <strong>the</strong> greater flexibility andindependence of <strong>using</strong> <strong>home</strong> computers for <strong>the</strong>ir<strong>school</strong>work and having a ‘level playing field’ with<strong>the</strong>ir peers. The majority of parents in <strong>the</strong> pilotstudy (81%) also reported that <strong>the</strong>y felt moreinvolved with <strong>the</strong>ir child’s learning, with parentsmainly <strong>using</strong> <strong>the</strong> Home Access computer to lookat <strong>school</strong> websites 1 .The Online Reporting expectations will seeparents in England given online access toinformation about children’s attainment,attendance, behaviour and special needs by 2010(for secondary) and 2012 (for primary). OnlineReporting is seen as an integral part of widerstrategies to support parental engagement andgood <strong>home</strong>-<strong>school</strong> <strong>relationship</strong>s, not just partof <strong>the</strong> reporting and accountability frameworks.Providing meaningful and timely informationto parents is thought to support parents tohave conversations with children about <strong>the</strong>irlearning, have information that enables <strong>the</strong>m tosupport children’s learning, be better informedand prepared for face-to-face meetings with<strong>school</strong> staff, and be able to work more closely inpartnership with <strong>the</strong>ir children’s <strong>school</strong>s 2 .Taken toge<strong>the</strong>r, <strong>the</strong>se policies and provisionindicate a move towards more extensive andexplicit expectations for parents to be involvedwith children’s <strong>school</strong>s and engaged in <strong>the</strong>irlearning. The direction of policy is also one inwhich parents are seen as playing a significantrole in <strong>school</strong> improvement, through raisingparents’ expectations of <strong>school</strong>s, making<strong>school</strong>s more accountable to parents, withparents influencing <strong>school</strong>s through greaterinvolvement and by exercising choice about<strong>the</strong> kind of education <strong>the</strong>y want for <strong>the</strong>irchildren. The overall aims of this policy directionare to raise educational achievement for allchildren and to ‘narrow <strong>the</strong> gap’ in achievementbetween children from disadvantagedbackgrounds and <strong>the</strong>ir peers.RESEARCH AND POLICY REVIEW2.1 POLICY CONTEXT21. See www.<strong>home</strong>access.org.uk for up-to-date information about <strong>the</strong> scheme including how to apply for grants. See also Parashar, Uand Jewitt, C (2009). Technology and learning at <strong>home</strong>: Findings from <strong>the</strong> evaluation of <strong>the</strong> Home Access Programme Pilotevents.becta.org.uk/content_files/corporate/resources/events/2009/november/3extending_learning.ppt for findings from <strong>the</strong>Home Access pilot evaluation (it is <strong>the</strong> third presentation in this package).2. In January 2008, Jim Knight, Secretary of State for Schools and Learners, sent a letter to <strong>school</strong> heads and chairs of governorssetting out <strong>the</strong> expectations and intentions behind <strong>the</strong> online reporting requirements, which can be read online at:www.teachernet.gov.uk/_doc/12680/Final online reporting letter online.doc. For more background on <strong>the</strong> anticipated benefitsand rational behind online reporting see also Becta (2008) Exploiting ICT to improve parental engagement, moving towards onlinereporting. Coventry: Becta. Available from: publications.becta.org.uk/display.cfm?resID=38170.13
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