Developing the home-school relationship using digital ... - Futurelab

STRATEGIC CONSIDERATIONS3.2 OWNERSHIP AND LEADERSHIP33.2 OWNERSHIPAND LEADERSHIPDeveloping an integrated, wholeschool strategyA good home-school relationship that reallymakes a difference to children’s learning doesnot just happen; it needs to be embedded ina whole-school strategy and reflected in theschool ethos. Where home-school relationshipsare considered only as an ‘added extra’ to theexisting work of the school, efforts are likely tobe less successful and have less of an impacton children’s learning experiences. In orderto make a difference, the implementation ofdigital technologies including steps to meet theonline reporting expectations need to be seenin terms of how they can support the wideraims of developing home-school relationshipsand parental engagement, and not just as anextension of existing reporting procedures.Taking seriously an aim to improve homeschoolrelationships as an integral part ofschool strategy means it is likely to have aneffect on what happens in school at manydifferent levels. Rather than making homeschoolrelationships the sole responsibilityof just one or two staff members, all stafftherefore need to be involved in the processof embedding home-school relationships andgiven the opportunity for appropriate continuingprofessional development to support thisaim. It is also important to have clear, strongleadership from the senior management teamin order to maintain a high profile for thisagenda, and to have expertise available withinthe school for staff to draw upon. The schoolleadership team need to promote the positivebenefits of a good home-school relationship,and the ways in which the school hopes toachieve this, so that staff can engage with thethinking behind strategies, question it anddevelop it themselves, rather than perceiving itmerely as an additional requirement.Digital technologies forcommunicationIf digital technologies are being used tocommunicate with the home, how do thesechannels and the messages conveyed usingthem fit into the bigger picture of schoolhomecommunication? Discrepancies ininformation received via email or text, and thatreceived verbally from children, other parentsor school staff can lead to a breakdown intrust in the reliability of any communication.The way digital channels are to be used needto be understood by all staff so that there isconsistency across the school, and parentsand children know what to expect.The use of digital technologies as part ofa whole school strategy also raises moretechnical issues. The digital channels usedto communicate with parents, track andreport information need to link in with theother systems being used within the schoolin order to ensure consistency of messagesand avoid duplication of effort. When choosingdata management and communication tools,consideration of how these integrate with theschool’s Management Information Systems(MIS) and the interoperability of differentdigital systems will be important.Fostering ownershipSetting up any new digital communicationchannels requires some leadership and‘championing’ until the stage at which itachieves a sustainable momentum. In our study,both parents and teachers took a ‘reactive’approach to the use of technologies, with onestaff member commenting “I logged on onceto see if anything was there”. If all participantswait for someone else to start using digitalcommunication channels, then clearly the useof technologies will not make any difference tocommunication between home and school.The value of a system may only be apparentwhen it is already being used by others, forexample online discussion boards are no usewhen people are not using them, and peoplewill often wait for someone else to take theinitiative. Inviting children, parents and teachersto ‘champion’ such systems and take theinitiative can help to demonstrate their valueand act as a ‘hook’ to bring in othersto participate.36