Parents online

2010 is the deadline for all secondary schools within the country to have a learning platform in place and be in position to offer parental access to online reporting. Here, Paul Harrington, discusses why it is important that parents are educated prior to the implementation of online reporting and how this can be organised to ensure smooth integration.

Government agency, Becta, say the vast majority of schools have access to broadband which enables students and teachers to access the school’s resources internally. The new aim is to extend the network to provide access to learning resources and online storage and communication tools to everyone in school and also to parents, students and other stakeholders outside school, at home or work as appropriate.

A learning platform is an integrated ICT management system and is “not a single off-the-shelf product but a collection of tools that are designed to support teaching, learning, management and administration” (http://schools.becta.org.uk). Becta states that learning platforms should integrate content management, curriculum mapping and planning, learner engagement and administration, and finally, tools and services.

Welcome aboard parents

So what does online reporting mean for parents? From 2010 they will be able to gain an insight into their child’s school life; enabling them to access a wealth of information including school grades, attendance, special needs information, and home and class work schedules online. In addition a learning platform will enable parents to communicate frequently and freely with teachers; this means that they can be kept abreast of their child’s education and any events which may have taken place during their child’s school day.

Traditional reports will be replaced with regular and up-to-date online reports which parents can access whenever and wherever they happen to be. Being able to access their child’s educational information as and when they wish has already been very successful in many schools with parents gaining greater understanding of day to day school life. Research undertaken by the Department for Children Schools and Families (DCSF), entitled ‘Parental Involvement in Child’s Education 2007’, revealed that 44 per cent of parents expressed work commitments as the main barrier to greater involvement in their child’s education. For busy working parents and those whose work necessitates travel, online reporting could hold the key to ensuring that they are kept informed and up to date regarding their child’s progress. They can access the information themselves as required resulting in them feeling actively involved in their child’s learning journey.

Parents + engagement = positive learning experience

Parents are a crucial component in their child’s education. If they encourage and take an interest in what their child has done each day at school, what lessons they have, and assignments they have been set, then this increases the likeliness of the child being engaged and interested in learning.

However, once reaching secondary school, students gain a new level of independence and this is sometimes where a breakdown in parental involvement can result. For example, with younger children, parents or a guardian are required to collect their child and drop them off at school - which means teachers and parents have frequent interaction and communication. In comparison, secondary school students make their own way to school and generally discuss less about their activities with parents. There are fewer opportunities for parent-teacher liaisons and increased need for communication between school and home.

According to research undertaken by the DCSF ‘Parental Involvement in Child’s Education’ (2007), 51 per cent of parents felt very involved in their child’s life. It is therefore essential to ensure that the remaining 49 per cent also become involved. If parents are able to support children while at home, and if they see parents play an active role and take a genuine interest, then they are more likely to feel engaged and want to succeed. In his January 2008 announcement, Sir Jim Knight commented that the Government is introducing online reporting in order to “deepen the school-parent relations.” The new guidelines seek to provide children across the country with a positive and effective education and for this to take place a good level of communication is essential between the school and the parents.

The digital divide

Online reporting also generates a number of issues which need to be addressed to ensure a smooth introduction. As Knight explained, “effective technology systems can actually significantly cut the staff workloads – but it has to be manageable for individual schools and meaningful for parents.”

Many parents will be comfortable with technology and suitably ‘tech-savvy’ to deal with online reporting. However there will be those who are daunted and feel out of their depth at the prospect of using a computer. With online reporting becoming an essential component of a child’s education, it is vital to make sure parents are up to speed with modern technology. Tackling the so-called “digital divide” is the main challenge. If parents are not up to scratch with technology, then rather than helping to increase the level of involvement in their child’s education, it could exclude them further from their child’s school life than previously before.

The introduction of technology as a way of updating parents is to enhance communication and cannot be viewed as a replacement for face-to-face contact. Its introduction should help stimulate a dialogue between the school and parents, and can be perceived as an additional and more immediate method to engage with parents rather than used to replace parent’s evenings. The need for contact is still as important but parents will be able to attend school with more insight into attainment, attendance and behaviour than was previously possible. If incorporated into school life effectively, the implementation of technology should act as a significantly beneficial accompaniment to traditional forms of contact.

Bridging the gap

With the arrival of online reporting there is also the risk of excluding parents financially and this could again trigger a digital divide. Many of us commonly take instant internet access for granted and assume that other homes would have similar access. However, in reality many low income families do not own a computer and cannot afford to go out and purchase one which therefore makes online reporting a complex issue. In his speech Knight commented: “We have to find a way to make access universal, or else it’s not fair. More than one million children – and their families - have no access to a computer in the home. I want a home computer to be as important as having a calculator or pencil case is. It means children will be able to access their school work and resources for their learning – and even download or store homework and get feedback from schools, wherever they want, whenever they want.”

As part of the Government’s pledge to boost access to computers across the country, and ensure inclusion of families irrespective of social positioning, it has pledged to follow on from the £60 million Computers for Pupils (CfP) scheme by investing a further £30 million. The aim of these budgets is to help provide low income families from particularly deprived areas with home internet access and supply them with computers and support using equipment.

With a plan in place to address funding issues, what can be done to ensure that parents are ‘tech-savvy’ enough to get the most from online reporting? Educating parents is evidently vital and the right approach to ensure this is achieved effectively is crucial.

It’s a school’s duty

Although online reporting does not become a requirement for over a year, the next twelve months present an ideal opportunity in which to start prepping parents about online reporting and ensuring that they have internet access. Creating a flurry of interest and engaging parents in the process is part of the recipe to ensure its introduction is effective, thus saving both teachers and parents’ valuable time in the future. Parents need to feel included in order for them to feel engaged and motivated by online reporting. At the annual 2009 conference for the Association of School and College Leaders (www.ascl.org.uk), it was concluded that online reporting cannot simply be thrust upon parents and instead requires a large amount of planning. There are a number of ways that parents could be informed about online reporting, below are a few suggestions:

Small-scale pilot schemes

Local Authorities could run small-scale online reporting pilot schemes, selecting two or three schools in the local area to participate. This is a positive way to gain case studies of success and demonstrate the scope that online reporting can provide. It also serves to highlight initial problems, meaning that potential issues can be ironed out before the scheme is fully launched.

After-school lessons

One way of educating and training parents could be via holding after-school lessons for parents where a teacher will explain use of the learning platform and demonstrate how parents can utilise online reporting to its full potential. Schools could also host some training classes during the evenings for parents who have work commitments. Schools also need to consider that parents have varying abilities. Some will be accustomed to using computers on a daily basis at work, whilst others may have never have even switched a computer on. This presents a challenge which all schools need to consider before the September 2010 rollout.

Online lessons

For parents unable to attend after-school or evening training sessions there is scope for them to be trained online. Schools could potentially create a workshop detailing step-by-step guidelines for parents; they can log on to and access the learning platform at any time suitable for them. However, this would again be problematic for those parents without a computer or internet access.

Posted teaching packs

Another option that schools could consider is the possibility of mailing teaching packs to parents. This is a relatively simple option which means that all parents will be able to access the information. Schools could personalise their teaching packs and involve students in their design and create activities that parents can complete whilst getting to grips with the system. The key to the successful introduction of online reporting is via inclusion; connecting teacher, parent and child ensures engagement from each party.

Getting the children involved

Students are more likely to have used the learning platform and will probably be the most experienced at using it - therefore, it is a fantastic idea to get them involved. Perhaps students could assist teachers in after-school classes and go around and speak to parents. There is even scope for students to get involved via teaching their parents at home! As a homework assignment each student could be given a guide written by the teacher and asked to go through online reporting with parents. They could also help to produce the guide, suggest designs and also help to create the online guide. Keeping it fun and interesting is positive for all parties.

What a difference a year can make

With just over a year remaining before online reporting becomes a Government requirement in secondary education, now is the time for schools to start preparing to introduce it to parents effectively. If planning begins now all parties will reap its advantages. A positive impact to the lives of teachers, parents and students will result; and in turn the learning journey will be better supported. It is the role of the school to start considering ways to engage parents and generate awareness, and it is the parent’s responsibility to take up opportunities presented by schools to learn about online reporting. What better time to do this than the present? After all, September 2010 will arrive sooner than we know – the schools, teachers, parents and students that benefit most from it will be those who are part of a well thought out plan.’

Paul Harrington is product manager for educational solution provider Serco Learning.

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