How can schools support parents' engagement in their children's learning? Evidence from research and practice

This report provides a review of international evidence regarding parent engagement in children’s learning and investigates what schools in England are doing currently to promote parent engagement in children’s learning. Parent engagement here refers to parents’ participation in supporting their child’s learning (academic attainment, related learning outcomes and behaviour), whether at home, in school or via home-school connections and wider community collaborations. The study has two main parts. The first of these, an evidence review, aims to synthesise the best current international evidence on parental engagement in children’s learning, focusing on: (a) effective parenting practices (including styles and activities) associated with positive learning outcomes at different stages of children’s development; (b) activities delivered in or by schools and early years settings that promote and support these practices, particularly for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. The second part of the study, which involved the survey of schools and interviews with school leaders, sought to identify what schools in England are doing currently to support parental engagement.