Inspiring leaders to

improve children’s lives

Schools and academies

Research Associate Report

Cath Yeneralski, Assistant Head, Thomas Hickman School, Aylesbury

Resource

Leadership strategies that impact positively

on the home learning environment for
families new to English
Summer 2012
Contents

Contents  .............................................................................................................................................2

Abstract  . ............................................................................................................................................3

Introduction  .......................................................................................................................................4

Literature review   ..............................................................................................................................5

Methodology   ....................................................................................................................................8

Findings  . ............................................................................................................................................9

Conclusions   .....................................................................................................................................17

References  .......................................................................................................................................20

Acknowledgements  ........................................................................................................................22

Disclaimer
In publishing Research Associate reports, the National College is offering a voice to practitioner leaders to
communicate with their colleagues. Individual reports reflect personal views based on evidence-based
research and as such are not statements of the National College’s policy.

2 © National College for School Leadership

Abstract

This study aims to provide school and leaders of Foundation Stage settings1 with an insight into the
leadership strategies used to support the home learning environment with a focus on families new to
English.

Recent reviews undertaken on behalf of the government (Allen, 2011; Field, 2010; Tickell, 2011) have
highlighted the importance of the Foundation Stage in a child’s life (0‑5 years) and the important role
parents and carers have to play in this. These early years are recognised to have a significant impact as
children grow up and it is important for parents and schools to work together to support a child in achieving
his or her potential in life.

This research concludes that there is a range of strategies schools and Foundation Stage settings can
implement that help parents support their children within their home learning environment. In this study
these were adapted to meet the needs of the individuals. The study also found that there were particular
leadership characteristics that contribute to such successful partnerships.

1 The research was carried out in schools with a Foundatiion Stage or an attached nursery. Its finding are therefore targeted at leaders of similar institutions.

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Introduction

This study focuses primarily on how schools work with parents new to English, within the early stages of
education, to build a link that can positively impact upon the children’s home learning environment.

The key research questions were:

1. What do schools see as the relevance of the home learning environment?

2. What do schools do to encourage parents new to English to support their children’s learning at home?

3. What barriers have schools experienced when working with parents with limited English and how have
these been addressed?

4. What leadership skills are needed to work with parents new to English to support their children’s
learning?

As highlighted by recent reviews undertaken on behalf of the government (Allen, 2011; Field, 2010; Tickell,
2011), the Foundation Stage in a child’s life (0‑5 years) and the important role parents and carers have to
play in their children’s learning is very important. These early years are recognised to have a significant
impact as children grow up and it is important for parents and schools to work together to support a child in
achieving his or her potential in life.

This report is relevant to leaders of schools and Foundation Stage settings as it looks at how links with
parents can be built and sustained to support and positively impact upon the home learning environment.

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Literature review

A child’s experiences during their early years provide the essential foundations for life.
Tickell, 2011:4

Field (2010) recognises that parents play a significant role in influencing their children’s futures, and this is
generally accepted (Desforges & Abouchaar, 2003). The review continues to acknowledge there is a weight
of evidence which shows that a combination of positive parenting, a good home learning environment and
parents’ qualifications can transform children’s life chances, and are more important to outcomes than class
background and parental income.

Waldman et al (2008) further recognise that the earlier the intervention, the better the outcome for the
child, though later is better than none. Later interventions to help poorly performing children can be effective
but, in general, the most effective and cost-effective way to help and support young families is in the
earliest years of a child’s life (Field, 2010). Waldman et al (2008) state further that a small investment in
the early years can make a significant impact later on. Allen (2011) adds to this emphasis in stating that the
Foundation Stage (0‑5 years) should have the same status as other key stages.

School leaders report that the most positive results occur when parents are on board in the
early stages of their child’s education.
Campbell, 2011:11

Activities such as sports day, nativity play or school fêtes, which encourage parents to enter the school
setting, are recognised as important, to help build good partnerships from which parents can engage with
their children’s learning, though as Harris and Goodall (2007) state, activities not directly related to learning
will have little impact on pupil achievement.

The Effective Pre-school and Primary Education Project (EPPE) is Europe’s largest longitudinal investigation
into the effects of pre-school education and care (Sylva et al, 2010). The research examines a group of
3,000 children; 2,800 drawn from randomly selected pre-school settings in England and a group of 200
children who had no pre-school experience. The research was concerned primarily with questions about
how the individual characteristics of children are shaped by the environments in which they develop. Sylva
et al (2010) recognise that children’s outcomes are the joint product of home and pre-school and that any
research on early education will have to take into account influences from the home.

EPPE investigated factors that might influence children’s development and identified their effects, for
example gender, birthweight, parental qualifications, employment, home learning environment, and
the educational context of children’s pre-school or primary school. They found that the home learning
environment remained a powerful predictor of better cognitive attainment at age 11 even after 6 years in
school (Melhuish, 2010). The relevance of the EPPE findings is recognised by recent government reviews by
Allen (2011) and Tickell (2011).

Home learning environment

Hunt et al (2011) recognise that parents, staff and managers have different definitions of early home
learning, though all practitioners did share a basic definition of the home learning environment (HLE) as
interaction between parent and child in a way that enables the child to learn.

As Melhuish (2010) acknowledges, the HLE is significant in supporting children’s potential to achieve. The
brain of a baby or young child who gets the interaction and stimulation needed for healthy development
is literally larger and more completely formed by the age of three than the brain of a child who has
experienced neglect (Allen, 2011; Roberts, 2009).

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 Research has highlighted the home learning environment as the single most important
behavioural factor influencing children’s outcomes at age three and five.
Field, 2010:42

The EPPE project looked at different home activity items and tested them individually to see if they predicted
over- or underachievement. Activities such as being read to, playing with numbers, painting and drawing, or
using songs, poems and rhymes, all had significant positive effects on boosting cognitive development and
achievement beyond that expected. Melhuish (2010) continues to state that family factors such as parents’
education, socio-economic status of the highest social class of occupation and income are also important;
however the HLE exerts a greater and independent influence on educational attainment.

Johnson et al (2008) cited in Field (2010) consider that evidence from EPPE suggests that children from
disadvantaged Indian and Bangladeshi families have better HLEs than comparable White British families and
that analysis has shown that the aspirations parents have for their children to continue in full-time education
is significantly higher among all minority groups than White British parents. Field recommends that further
research in this area would be informative to discover more about the diversity of parenting and HLEs that
promote high attainment.

The home learning environment is not bound by parental occupation, education or income, rather, as
Waldman et al (2008) suggest, it is about what parents do with their children, rather than who they are.
Different families may have different barriers to creating an effective HLE, however, Melhuish (2010) found
that parents can provide a high-scoring HLE irrespective of their own qualification level.

Barriers to effective partnerships with parents

When parents do not share the language or culture of the school staff the obstacles in the
way of home‑school staff are considerable.
Blackledge & Aljazir, 1996:87

Roberts (2010) observes that most parents want to do the best for their children, but some struggle to do
so, often because they don’t understand the important role they can play or know how best to support their
children’s development. Parents’ own backgrounds and experiences have an impact on how they engage
with their children’s Early Years experiences and later schooling (Ward, 2009). Hunt et al (2011) identified the
following as significant barriers to engaging parents:
—— parents’ lack of time

—— dislike of educational environment based on parents’ own school experiences

—— lack of confidence among some parents

—— parents having English as an additional language

These key barriers are also acknowledged by other research (Harris & Goodall, 2007; Ward, 2009) with
the former stating that parents who are viewed as ‘hard to reach’ often see the school itself as hard
to reach. Hunt et al (2011) reflect that the biggest barrier appears to be parents’ lack of time followed
by communication difficulties for parents who do not speak English. Hunt also considers that levels of
confidence were lowest among parents who did not speak English as their first language.

Coelho (1994) suggests that the main barriers to building links with parents new to English include:

—— parents working and having little time to help their children

—— parents feeling limited by their lack of fluency in English or the educational system

—— parents’ prior experience, in that in many countries the involvement of parents in their children’s
schooling is neither expected nor desired

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Campbell (2011) identifies that where schools have made concerted efforts to engage hard-to-reach parents,
the evidence shows that the effect on pupil learning and behaviour is positive. Ward (2009) acknowledges
that rather than drawing unfavourable conclusions for the child when parents do not engage with Early
Years practitioners, questions should be asked as to why parents do not get involved and how they can be
supported to participate. This proactive response is highlighted by Roberts (2009) in stating that vulnerable
families need to be targeted and supported before children start to fall behind, while Hunt et al (2011)
comment that 52 per cent of Early Years settings that participated in their study offered targeted support to
parents where English was not the first language.

Engaging with parents

Hunt et al (2011) report that managers of settings involved in the study thought that inviting parents into
the setting was the most effective way of involving parents in home learning. Field (2010) acknowledges the
importance of using resources within the community and observes that informal networks can be important
sources of support and strongly influence the way they parent.

Schools that successfully engage parents in learning consistently reinforce the fact that
‘parents matter’. They develop a two-way relationship with parents based on mutual trust,
respect and a commitment to improving learning outcomes.
Harris & Goodall, 2007:5

The open-door policies operated by best-practice settings in the study conducted by Hunt et al (2011)
enabled many of the barriers to be overcome gradually. Campbell (2011) reflects that communication
strategies need to be personalised to fit the context while Ward (2009) also considers that employing
different means of communication is essential to ensure full coverage of a range of communication
styles. For example some parents may prefer spoken information, while others respond better to written
information. It is the way in which different forms of communication are used, combined and embedded
in a culture of co-operation and trusting relationships between Early Years practitioners and parents that
leads to effective partnerships (Glenn et al, 2006). In addition, Melhuish (2010) acknowledges that where
opportunities are provided for mixing with other parents who are better educated, some benefits for
parenting may exist as peer group learning is a possibility.

With reference to parents who have English as an additional language, Virani-Roper (2000) comments that
some parents do not like schools to encourage home language support because they want their children
to learn English as soon as possible. This highlights an area where parents may need support to recognise
the importance of valuing the child’s home language and particularly at Early Years encouraging children to
develop comprehension in their first language as this can aid their ability to communicate in English.

In their study, Hunt et al (2011) state that 41 per cent of parents reported that staff had offered help or given
information or support that had changed how they have helped their child at home and that 97 per cent of
parents who attended events held by settings had tried the HLE activities suggested. As Hunt et al (2011)
suggest, attending an event for parents at an Early Years setting is very effective in influencing the HLE.

Ward (2009) suggests that staff members need to be able to adjust their communication skills quickly and
diplomatically to a range of different partners and contexts. Working with parents requires getting their
views heard so parents and staff can work together. Ward (2009) also suggests that it will take time and
perseverance to find the right approach that will help individual parents, since they come from different
backgrounds and have different life experiences and values. As Roberts (2010) highlights, it is important to
take time to get to know parents so that information and ideas can be shared that are appropriate to their
level of confidence as well as relevant to their interests, culture and family life.

Having identified the importance of the HLE, its promotion with parents and the removal of barriers
associated with its development, this report focuses on the strategies used by a sample of schools and the
leadership implications of these.

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Methodology

The views of a range of staff in school were used to investigate the four research questions. Interviews were
carried out in a small sample of four schools – two primary and two first schools ‑ to identify what strategies
they use to engage parents, how these impact on the HLE of children within their Foundation Stage setting
and what the leadership implications are.

All schools were recently graded outstanding or good by Ofsted and were recognised as having a high
number of children speaking English as an additional language (EAL), including some at an early stage of
learning English. It is recognised that this is a small sample of schools and the findings and conclusions
reflect this and limit their generalisation.

The schools studied have different dominant languages spoken by EAL children; for example one Catholic
school has recently adjusted provision to cater for a high number of Polish-speaking families new to England,
whereas another has had a high Pakistani population for many years.

The headteacher of each school was interviewed, and a further one or two interviews were carried out in
order to triangulate results. These additional interviews were carried out with a range of staff drawn from
assistant head, deputy head, Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) co-ordinator, special educational needs co-
ordinator (SENCO) and the Reception teacher or nursery manager.

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Findings

How is HLE understood and valued by schools?

Many of the respondents found it difficult to give a clear statement to define the home learning
environment. This reflected the difficulties in obtaining a clear, consistent definition also recognised by the
study undertaken by Hunt et al (2011). Comments were made by respondents in this study relating to how
much children access literacy in their home environment, including whether the children are exposed to
books, whether they have stories read to them, are exposed to good models of language, talk about things
they have done, shop with parents, visit places of interest and use educational toys:

“It’s anything the children learn outside school.”

Deputy, first school

“It’s really about children engaging with their carers in terms of their learning.”
Headteacher, first school

The majority of interviewees commented on some EAL children as having a limited home learning
environment, for example they had not learned colours or numbers or might not have a written language at
home and therefore no access to books within the home environment. However, it was recognised that they
may have been taught other things and that, whatever their HLE experience, children:

“... don’t come as empty vessels... they come with lots of information and knowledge ... it’s
really about what they bring from home to school.”
Headteacher, first school

All respondents observed that the HLE was very important, hugely relevant to schools and an area that can
make a big impact on children’s learning if a strong partnership is achieved where parents are working
with schools. One headteacher reflected on her school’s changing pupil base with a growing number of
Polish immigrants choosing a Catholic school for their children as they enter the area. This highlighted the
importance of knowing children’s cultural background when they come into school:

“... so we can adapt our resources and our teaching to suit the children that we have.”
Headteacher, first school

With reference particularly to children with EAL, the importance of families valuing their home language was
identified:

“If they can’t talk then they are not going to be able to do anything. [They] need to be
fluent in their first language.”
EYFS co-ordinator, primary school

Having recognised the importance of the HLE for children, how were schools working with parents and
providing them with the skills to support this?

How schools work successfully with parents

“Hopefully we are providing a similar home learning environment in our classrooms as well.”
Reception teacher, first school

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Schools used a wide range of resources and strategies to assist parents new to English engage in their
children’s learning and as a result support the HLE. The initiatives included curriculum workshops, pre-nursery
sessions, stay and play sessions and links with adult education to run courses for parents. However, in one
case, this was not viewed as a separate set of strategies to meet parents’ particular needs but one that was
equally applicable to all parents:

“In terms of parents who’ve got children who speak English as a second language we don’t
actually draw a distinction because to us they are all children and if it’s truly personalised
learning then you have to take each child from where their starting point is.”
Headteacher, first school

Most schools spoke of the importance of informal, non-threatening ways to get parents involved such as
inviting them to watch their children’s performances and attending summer fairs or helping with school
visits. Although as previously identified in the literature review, these activities may not impact on children’s
development directly (Harris & Goodall, 2007), there was a view that these activities were important for a
number of reasons:

“It’s non-confrontational for parents to watch their children perform, I think anything that
brings parents into school has to be a good thing.”
EYFS co-ordinator, primary school

Staff commented on having opportunities to build relationships with parents in an informal setting leading
to parents subsequently becoming more confident to join other more formal activities such as curriculum
workshops. Parents had the opportunity to meet other parents and build up a support network. This was
seen to be particularly important for families new to English as parents could support each other with
translation:

“It’s important for [the parents] to mix and share as it can be a bit isolating at times.”
SENCO, primary school

A further challenge highlighted was the difficulty in engaging with parents who work, although this could be
said of many parents who do speak English as a first language. In one school many of the Eastern European
parents are economic migrants and have entered the country to work and therefore:

“Getting hold of people and explaining how things work in school is probably the most
difficult thing.”
Headteacher, first school

Focusing particularly on Early Years and the families’ first experience of working with their child’s school,
those interviewed all described a range of strategies used to build links, such as home visits, workshops for
new starters in the summer term before school starts in the September, parent interviews and visiting pre-
schools.

One headteacher commented on her attendance at a Catholic mass in Polish and the Saturday Polish school
on occasion. She saw this as an important and valuable way of establishing the link between school and the
Polish community. It also gave parents a familiar face and someone to approach with questions. In the same
school, part of the bursar’s job has become helping people complete the admission forms online, particularly
for parents who need support in understanding the forms or have no access to the internet at home.

It was highlighted that all staff have a part to play in these initiatives and this is reflected in one
interviewee’s statement that:

“It’s led by everybody and it starts before the children even come in.”
Assistant head, first school

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Once links had been built up and the children settled, school leaders commented that they then introduce
curriculum sessions with the aim of supporting parents to help their children at home. These were led by
curriculum co-ordinators and release time was organised within the schools for them to plan and deliver
the sessions. One head stated that the school builds in time at the end of the curriculum workshops, when
it is more informal, to aid dialogue with parents and build up relationships so parents feel confident to take
part in the sessions. This was seen as having a significant impact and reflects a point highlighted by Roberts
(2010).

“It’s more informal, you can get a cup of tea, walk around and talk to people one at a time
and I’ve had quite a few, and I would say they were mostly EAL parents, who have waited
because they didn’t want to put their hand up in the meeting and ask the question, but they
just sort of cornered someone after the meeting.”
Deputy, first school

School leaders made use of external agencies where they could, such as a children’s centre on site,
adult education services and English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) facilities. These links have
been particularly positive where leaders have identified the best use of the resources matched to the
school’s cohort and its needs. Analysis of need was therefore a leadership activity that informed this. One
interviewee commented that the school received funding to run an ESOL course. They valued this service
contribution and made the decision to subsequently employ the teacher for one day a week to work with
particular families. For example, the teacher introduced the parents to lots of different activities in the local
community that parents could adopt with their children.

Another school engaged adult education services to run literacy and numeracy courses to support a growing
number of parents who were new to English. This did not cost the school beyond providing a space for the
course to run.

All the schools had programmes that relied on staffing and time rather than cost. Leaders gave a high
priority to working with parents to help them support their children’s learning with associated initiatives built
into the yearly plan:

“Time is obviously very precious but if you plan for it beforehand you can build it into your
school year.”
Headteacher, first school

In addition to inviting parents into school, one school sent home the children’s books for a weekend at the
end of each term for children to share with their parents and for the parents to make comments on. This was
recognised as a way of getting the children to talk to their parents about what they had learned at school,
hence consolidating their learning at home and enabling shared understanding of both what had been
learnt and the language associated with it. In addition to this the school used parents’ comments to target
their understanding and answer their questions. This further impacted on the HLE as parents were more
empowered to support their children’s learning at home:

“We want the parents to look at it and the children to talk to their parents about their
learning, to explain what they have done in their books and I always say to parents, if your
child can’t do this then we have failed... all parents write comments including the ones who
don’t have very good English but they make their points [come] across.”
Headteacher, first school

Overcoming barriers when working with parents new to English

Barriers identified by those interviewed came under two main headings, language and cultural. In looking
at these two issues it is important to recognise that some did not identify a separate set of barriers when
working with this group of parents:

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 “I don’t see a different set of barriers working with parents new to English... there’s a raft of
barriers and we just have to, as a team, look at what we can do to overcome those.”
Headteacher, primary school

Another school leader made the following observation:

“We don’t have barriers... if there was an issue... we don’t see it as a barrier we see it as an
opportunity of engaging with the parents at a deeper level.”
Headteacher, first school

Language barriers
All the schools used members of staff to support parents as translators. Comments were made about having
to work harder to ensure that parents’ perspectives and contributions were elicited when they did not speak
English, and finding ways to communicate effectively with them:

“... to ensure they are achieving the same communication links as other parents”
Assistant head, first school

School leaders needed to find ways to build on parents’ confidence as some could be reluctant to come into
school because they were learning the language themselves and could feel shy and/or under confident.
As recognised by Hunt et al (2011), levels of confidence are lowest in parents who speak English as an
additional language.

It would be very difficult to provide an interpreter on every occasion for all the different languages in a
school so it was essential to find different ways to support parents on a daily basis. Schools stated that they
introduce parents to members of staff that speak or understand their language. This, alongside building
relationships among parents themselves, was seen to support parents new to English and provide a more
sustainable and manageable system to support communication than contracting interpreters.

“I looked in the classroom and I saw a note pinned to the wall and it was about why a
little boy had been away the day before and it was all in Polish... I thought that was really
quite nice that they feel they can do that or they can ring up and ask to speak to the Polish
teacher if they are worried or anxious about something.”
Headteacher, first school

When using parents as interpreters, school leaders considered that it was important to find an appropriate
parent to translate as there may be sensitive areas to talk about. In terms of supporting the HLE, this was
particularly relevant when working with parents to support a child with special needs. One SENCO highlighted
the importance of linking up with local resources, for example by making the most of the local cultural centre
to find a translator who could support parents new to English in understanding what their child’s difficulties
were and what support the child needed.

Concerns were highlighted in relation to parents trying to support their child in learning English, rather
than speaking to them in their home language. This, it was considered, might lead to a child developing
limited language skills. As Blackledge & Aljazir (1996) recognise, the better developed children’s conceptual
foundation in their first language, the more likely they are to develop high levels of conceptual abilities in
the language of the school. This point was also identified by school leaders interviewed for this study.

The importance of making supporting resources available was identified by school leaders. These included
home language newsletters, multilingual posters, resources that reflect diversity and dual language books.
The impact of using dual language books to impact upon the HLE was advocated by one school leader
particularly as she saw that using these books gave parents the school’s seal of approval to support their
children in their home language.

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 “Dual language books made the parents feel more confident, because it’s something from
the school and they are doing it in their own language, it’s made them feel confident they’re
helping the child in the right way.”
Deputy head, first school

Cultural barriers
Each of the schools had initiatives to meet the needs of their particular parents, for example, one school ran
an Asian ladies group. The need emerged for this group because a lot of the Asian women did not socialise
in the community and so the school took a lead in providing a base for this:

“Many of our Asian parents are very nervous and insecure about health matters... cold
weather, when we had the snow they thought it was dangerous that I had let the school
open... there is a lot of misrepresentation really about ideas.”
Headteacher, primary school

Support sessions were also offered by schools and these, at times, bridged health and learning and broached
cultural aspects, for example the appropriate food to include in a packed lunch, why your child needs to
come to school and the detrimental effect of extended holidays. Not only were these supporting the child’s
HLE but they also helped build links with health needs, an aspect highlighted as important by the recent
Allen review (2011).

School leaders mentioned the importance of ensuring the school’s offer, including a broad curriculum, was
one in which all children and parents could see themselves as part of the school:

“Our school should be a mirror of the children who are here... so when they come into our
school they should be able to see themselves either in other people or in the resources that
we offer them... they should never feel that they are the only child.”
Headteacher, first school

Again, investment in a range of multicultural resources and considering how the curriculum might be
adapted to reflect children’s varied backgrounds, for example learning about different countries, were
suggested as ways to support the HLE. Also, interviewees commented on the importance of providing
opportunities for parents to contribute in the school, for example in widening children’s experiences:

“Mostly we’ve built links through the creative curriculum, inviting parents to read stories in
different languages... cooking demonstrations for the class... someone coming in playing the
guitar. “
Deputy, first school

This adaptation of the curriculum was seen to help build these cultural links and help parents feel more
confident to work with the school to enhance children’s experiences. One example of this was related to
children learning about Eid:

“Things like celebrating Eid has put parents’ minds at rest, that we’re thinking about their
religion and their celebrations.”
Nursery manager, primary school

In this particular school, parents offered to bring in Eid clothes and other resources for the children to use
and learn about in the setting. This promoted a strong home‑school link and the school recognised that
encouraging parents to support the school in an area they were familiar with could lead to them to feel more
confident about attending other activities at school such as reading or maths workshops. As Hunt et al (2011)
recognise, this is important as parents new to English generally have low confidence compared with other
groups.

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Another cultural barrier was the disparity between the school system previously experienced by either the
children and/or their parents (where this was in another country) and the school system which they now
found themselves part of. The differences could be marked and parents brought thoughts about their own
schooling with them.

Allied to this, school leaders recognised that in some cases, parents may have had a bad experience of
school and be concerned that their children might have a similar experience, or they may have had a more
formal experience of gaining early knowledge and skills either in this country or another. The introduction
of the EYFS and the focus on play was, it was viewed, likely to be very different from the parents’ own
experiences of school. Schools therefore needed to help parents understand, through the sessions held, the
teaching and learning strategies used. These provided opportunities to show what and how their children
were learning at school. This, it was considered, aided their confidence and ability to support their children in
the same way at home.

Workshops where parents learned alongside their children were found to be a powerful way of supporting
the parents:

“... sitting down with the parent and child saying ’Let’s show mummy how we do your
sounds, let’s show her how we do the book’, because then they watch you, what you do
with the child, and then that can help them support the child’s learning at home.”
Deputy head, first school

Sustainability
School leaders said they thought their programme for working with parents new to English was sustainable
though without exception they would like to do more. Establishing an environment where parents felt
included cost time and a shared vision, rather than money. To be effective it was recognised that this vision
needs to filter down from the headteacher and senior leaders, for example through training opportunities,
staff meetings and modelling interactions with parents.

“Engaging parents is so important that if it’s dependent on money it’s not going to work so
it’s got to be sustainable.”
Headteacher, first school

Those that referred to cost recognised that it is important to build in an amount each year to refresh the
diversity resources and plan for the parent workshops and home visits for example. All schools made
effective use of their diverse staff to translate for parents as necessary, though as identified, it was reliant on
current staffing and their language skills.

Different initiatives were identified as being led by different staff, for example home visits and pre-nursery
workshops were led by the Early Years co-ordinator while curriculum workshops may be led by literacy and
numeracy co-ordinators. It was recognised that all staff leading initiatives need to be supported by the
headteacher and senior leadership team in order for sessions to be planned into the school diary for the year
to manage how staff are released. Some schools had used external agencies such as local authority advisers
to support the development of diversity resources.

Effective leadership characteristics

“I don’t know if it’s leadership qualities or if it’s professional characteristics.”
Headteacher, first school

Many of the respondents provided a list of leadership characteristics that they saw as important in engaging
with parents to impact positively on the HLE. School leaders recognised that they needed to have certain
personal qualities that influenced their professional characteristics, for example those mentioned included
honest, calm, patient, empathetic and reassuring.

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Leaders also mentioned characteristics that related primarily to ethos and communication as set out below.
These characteristics underpinned the work they did in this area.

Ethos
—— Being respectful of families and their cultures, showing that they were valued.

“Although it’s different, it’s equally valuable.”

Headteacher, primary school

Leaders at different levels recognised the importance of valuing links with parents and taking the time to
build events that demonstrated this into the school diary.

—— Being proactive and motivated to reach out for opportunities that demonstrated to parents that they
were doing something extra and had a passion for their child to achieve their best.

It was recognised that it was not easy to achieve an effective partnership with parents that impacts
on the HLE, though all schools in this project were committed to trying to achieve the reality. They
recognised the need to commit time and energy and to continue providing opportunities for parents to
engage in their children’s learning even when initially they had a small number of attendees at sessions.
Some schools found strategies that helped increase the number, for example by texting reminders or
making personal contact by phone.

—— Being child and family-centred.

This included not making assumptions about parents’ prior knowledge but working from parents’ and
children’s starting points. Being flexible and responsive in adapting provision was viewed as important as
all parents had different needs.

—— Able to create inclusive, welcoming, friendly, open Foundation Stage settings which parents felt confident
to enter.

“In our Ofsted report, one of the parents said, the school’s like their family... and it’s that
relationship you build with parents that they trust you, feel part of the school and that the
atmosphere in the school is one that encourages them to step in.”
Headteacher, primary school

Communication
“We have a lot of training focused on communication and working with parents. I think that
gives the school a real community feeling, a real cohesion.”
SENCO, primary school

—— Being good listeners and communicators, who were accessible and made time to talk.

Modelling these behaviours and skills was also seen as important so that it gave clear messages to staff
and helped embed these qualities. Modelling interactions with parents took place at different levels of
leadership and this was felt to be filtering down to all staff to help provide a consistent school approach.

Leaders needed effective listening skills in order to identify and address any issues and start from where
the parents were to find the best way to build links and support them in helping their children at home.

“It’s not about them listening to us, it’s about us listening to them.”
Assistant head, first school

15 © National College for School Leadership

 “[The head]... is very open to new things, new cultures, and that’s [why] when I was
applying for this job I felt comfortable and valued and I think that’s what she conveys
in terms of when she’s speaking to parents, that she shows she’s interested, no matter
who the person is or where they came from and I think that’s a great asset to have as a
manager.”
Reception teacher, first school

“Always being able to talk... ‘Don’t leave your child at the door, if you have a problem please
come in’. ... even if it’s a smile, I think if a leader can do that the parents feel more at ease
because they don’t feel intimidated.”
Nursery manager, primary school

16 © National College for School Leadership

Conclusions

In summary, schools involved in this research have valued and prioritised building links with parents which
support children’s learning and have the potential to impact positively upon the child’s home learning
environment.

It was recognised that there are challenges facing schools working with parents new to English, for example
overcoming language barriers and cultural differences. However the initiatives used to engage parents
in their children’s learning were largely the same as those used for other parents. It was highlighted that
parents new to English may need additional support such as interpreters to access these initiatives and
understand the education system, as well as support to see the value of using their first language at home
to help their child’s learning in school. School leaders in this research made the most of available resources
and planned initiatives into the school year so that resources such as time and budget were managed
effectively in order to achieve a sustainable programme for parents.

Based on the findings, it could be proposed that there are three phases that encourage successful
partnerships with parents and that impact on the HLE, particularly for families new to English:

—— Phase 1 begins before the children start school. As Drake (2009) recognises, mothers and fathers are
normally open to new learning during transition stages in their lives (in this case their child starting
nursery or pre-school), and practitioners should consider how they can best use this short window of
opportunity. By working closely with parents before their child starts nursery, moves to Key Stage 1, Key
Stage 2 or secondary school, effective partnerships could be created that subsequently impact positively
on the HLE.

—— Phase 2 centres on using a range of informal strategies to encourage parents and help them feel
confident in coming into school. Attendance of informal activities not focused on learning, such as
watching children’s performances, was shown to have a valuable purpose. Parents who are particularly
anxious about attending formal school events can be encouraged through informal activities which allow
staff to build positive relationships with parents and increase their confidence to attend, for example,
curriculum workshops.

“It’s about being tuned into what parents might be feeling or thinking, the ability to
empathise and it’s about intuition and getting your timing right.”
Headteacher, first school

—— Phase 3 concentrates on activities that assist parents in supporting their children’s learning at home. It
should be acknowledged that comments made by school leaders involved in this research suggest that
without phase 2, it would be very difficult for schools to work with parents to support the HLE effectively.
If parents do not feel confident to enter school and discuss their concerns or views with teachers,
they are unlikely to attend sessions focused on supporting their children’s learning. Working with
parents new to English brings with it a greater challenge of finding ways of listening to their views and
communicating concepts in an accessible way.

As Hunt et al (2011) acknowledge, 97 per cent of parents who were present at events tried activities at
home, suggesting that attending an event is very effective in influencing the HLE. Therefore it is important
to find ways of successfully encouraging parents to attend sessions focused on supporting children with their
learning.

All these initiatives take time and energy and without perseverance may not find the same success. The
ethos of the school and leadership skills of the headteacher, leadership team and other staff are vital.
Personal characteristics were considered to be the key to developing a successful working relationship with
parents allied to identification of their needs and feelings to establish the best way to work with them and
their children.

17 © National College for School Leadership

Roberts (2010) acknowledges that when parents are treated as partners and feel respected and valued,
they are more likely to listen to the information and advice they are given. A school environment where
parents are valued and their views are heard has been shown to build a strong link with parents and in turn
influence the HLE as parents take ideas home to support their children’s learning.

It is hoped that this study offers school leaders engaged in promoting and developing the HLE of parents
new to English strategies they might use and reflection points on which they might draw to consider their
own practice. To aid this, a flowchart of key considerations is offered in Figure 1. This might be used by a
senior leadership team to consider current practice and further development opportunities.

18 © National College for School Leadership

 Phase 1: Pre admission to school

EAL support
Pre-nursery sessions EAL support
Home visits
Parent visit round Visiting in summer term Induction Translator
Support in
school Parent pre-school before starting in meeting support -
completing
interviews September other parents,
admissions pack
member of staff

Phase 2: Getting parents in - informal activities

EAL support
Welcoming
school / Stay and play Parents bringing EAL support
Parent visitors
Being able to sessions Watching Parent in resources
Trips Fetes eg demonstrate Access to
listen / performances volunteers from their
Coffee morning guitar translators
Contact with
culture for
key worker
display

Phase 3: Initiatives focused on children’s learning = impact on HLE

Children taking Parents attend

EAL support
Informal chat books home to adult education
Parents attend EAL support
at the end of show parents courses Diversity EAL support
curriculum resources Access to
workshop Parents Children’s ESOL courses
workshops including dual translators
sessions commenting on centre
language books
children’s work activities

19 © National College for School Leadership

References

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21 © National College for School Leadership

Acknowledgements

Thanks to all the schools who took part in this research, with particular recognition to the headteachers and
other staff who gave up their valuable time to be interviewed.

Visit www.nationalcollege.org.uk/publications to access other full research and summary reports.

22 © National College for School Leadership

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