Parental Engagement

Why does parental engagement matter?

It's long been known that the more engaged parents are with their child’s education, the more likely the child is to do well at school.

Educational researcher Professor John Hattie suggested that parental engagement is equivalent to adding two to three years to a student’s education.

But there's even more to it than this...

Today school SLTs face a growing array of challenges—from declining pupil numbers and difficulties recruiting teachers to supporting SEND and EAL families, tackling funding gaps and improving pupil attendance.

One of the most effective yet often underutilised tools at an SLT’s disposal is a well-crafted communication strategy. Beyond simply disseminating information, strong communication and engagement fosters trust, builds relationships and positions the school as an inclusive, high-performing institution.

Effective parental engagement can provide a huge advantage for a child’s academic progression - and contribute significantly to the reputation and future success of a school.

The benefits of a strong communication and engagement strategy

Managing reputation and enhancing trust

Clear, consistent communication helps schools shape positive perceptions and build trust with families, staff and the wider community.

Addressing declining pupil numbers

Strong communication strategies turn current parents into advocates, helping attract new families and boost enrolment.

Supporting teacher recruitment and retention

Sharing a compelling school vision and culture through internal and external channels helps attract and retain high-quality staff.

Enhancing support for SEND and EAL families

Tailored, inclusive communication builds stronger relationships and ensures all families feel supported and understood.

Tackling funding gaps through community engagement

Transparent communication with stakeholders inspires trust and opens up opportunities for funding and partnership.

Improving pupil attendance

Proactive, personalised communication with parents encourages engagement, early intervention, and improved attendance outcomes.

A strategic approach to communication and engagement can help SLTs navigate key challenges and ultimately contribute to the long-term success of their schools.

What does parental engagement actually mean?

In short, parental engagement refers to the idea that both teachers and families are responsible for a child’s education. As a result, parental engagement in education is used to describe when parents and carers make meaningful engagement in a child’s academic learning.

Engagement with learning at home
Encouragement and support of learning
Parent-child discussions
Modelling of positive learning behaviours
Supporting children with reading, homework, and projects

The difference between parental engagement and involvement

Parental involvement refers to the two-way relationship between parents and the school. For example, volunteering to chaperone on school trips, or helping to create costumes and props for the school play.

Parental engagement, however, describes the relationship between parents and their children’s education in general. It covers everything and anything a parent can do to foster a positive learning environment, whether that’s at home (chatting about school over dinner), school, or other community settings (swimming lessons).

Parental involvement can be thought of as the first step to family engagement. With family engagement, home and school come together as a team.

In particular, why does it matter to Ofsted?

The new Ofsted framework specifically mentions parental engagement, saying:

"Inspectors will make a judgement on the effectiveness of leadership and management by evaluating the extent to which leaders engage effectively with learners and others in their community, including – where relevant – parents, carers, employers and local services...engagement opportunities are focused and have purpose."

So, why is engaging parents in schools so important to Ofsted inspectors? Well, according to previous publications from Ofsted:

"Parental engagement can be a powerful lever for raising achievement in schools and there is much research to show the value of schools and parents working together to support pupils’ learning. Schools have been encouraged to shift from simply involving parents with the school to enabling them to engage themselves more directly with their children’s learning."

Clearly then, parental engagement should be high on the priority list for any school, with Ofsted's parental engagement research highlighting some key findings & recommendations.

What does parental engagement look like?

Parental engagement can be broken down into six categories:

Parenting: Parents can support their children’s education by providing a healthy home environment that promotes learning. For instance, reading to and in front of their children.
Communication: When parents ask their children questions about their education, and children are free to ask them back, they will become more involved in their children’s education by knowing and understanding more about their grades, curriculum, and behaviour.
Volunteering: Parents should have the opportunity to get directly involved with volunteering in the classroom and in other areas around the school.
Home learning: Not only can parents encourage learning by supporting their children with homework projects and assignments, but with life experience and knowledge themselves, they can provide an invaluable educational resource.
Decision making: Parents that get involved in local advocacy, education support groups and school boards can engage with their child’s education at a higher level, influencing change and modelling leadership skills.
Community: Schools and their local community go hand in hand. As a result, parents involved in one are likely to be involved in the other.

What are the benefits of increased parental engagement in schools?

Parental engagement has been repeatedly found to be one of the most effective measures for improving outcomes for students. In fact, research has stated: “The more parents are engaged in the education of their children, the more likely their children are to succeed in the education system.”

That said, what are some of the invaluable social and emotional benefits provided by increased parental engagement?

Family engagement equals student success
According to research, children with families engaged in their education are more likely to:

Earn higher grades and test scores
Graduate from high school and attend post-secondary education
Develop self-confidence and motivation in the classroom
Have better social skills and classroom behaviour

Close the disadvantage gap
Disadvantaged pupils have been found to make less academic progress and even regress during the summer holidays. However, by designing and delivering effective approaches to parental engagement, schools may be able to mitigate some of these causes of educational disadvantage by supporting parents to encourage their children’s learning.

Improves confidence and self esteem
When children have parents who are enthusiastic and engaged about their learning, those children are empowered to be more enthusiastic and engaged as well. This can result in more confident children who have better social skills and classroom behaviour, with improved motivation and less of a need for redirection.

Creates a sense of community
According to Helen Keller, ‘Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much.’ And it goes to show, as parents who are aware of what is going on in their child’s education and take steps to become more involved with school activities and the curriculum help to build a more cohesive community.

Breaking Down Barriers to Parental Engagement

Parental engagement in primary schools is generally stronger than in secondary schools primarily because of the increased complexity of multiple subjects and teachers in secondary schools. However, the need for good engagement is equally important.

Many parents face challenges that make it harder to connect with their child’s school. Addressing these barriers is key to building stronger, more inclusive relationships.

Language and cultural barriers
Around 18% of UK pupils speak English as an additional language. Offering communication in a parent’s preferred language helps families stay informed and involved.
Time and working life
Busy schedules often limit parent participation. Virtual meetings and tailored newsfeeds allow parents to engage with school life on their own time.
Negative past school experiences
Some parents feel intimidated by school environments. Informal, low-pressure events—like classroom walk-throughs or parent-child activities—can help build confidence and connection.
Parental anxiety
Post-pandemic anxiety has left some parents uneasy about returning to normal routines. Open, empathetic communication helps ease concerns and rebuild trust.

Effective parental engagement means adopting strategies that build relationships with all parents - including those hard to reach.

How to improve parental engagement in schools

The good news is, when schools work with parents there are plenty of straightforward ways these barriers to engagement can be overcome. With that in mind, here are six steps to improving parent engagement in schools:

Create an engagement strategy
With parent engagement boosting a child’s progress by up to two years, we’ve put together a guide to creating an outstanding parental engagement strategy here.
Invest in a parent engagement app
By investing in a communications app, such as Weduc custom branded apps for schools, you can keep all families up to date in real time, while catering to those with different access needs.
Create positive relationships with parents
Ensure your staff are on good terms with pupils’ families by keeping their parents informed on what their child is learning and setting up regular meetings for any queries and to discuss their child’s progress.
Keep your website updated
Keep your school website updated with engaging content, blogs, insights, surveys, and personnel. Plus, with the Weduc platform you can post to your newsfeed and Weduc website simultaneously.
Ensure meetings and events are accessible
When events require parents to attend in person, inevitably not everyone can make it. This may be due to simple time commitments, but it may also be due to more complex access requirements. Ensure every family is able to attend by providing options such as virtual parents’ evenings. For instance, via a Parents’ Evening System.
Personalise your communications
These days, technology has made it possible to speak to everyone as an individual. No more ‘Dear parent/guardian’. Now, you can speak to each parent by name and empower them to decide which updates they receive and how they receive them.