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Resources to support parents

Supporting parental engagement in learning

Parents, carers and families have a vital role to play in helping their children and young people to achieve their full potential – at school, college or university, in work and in life. Parents' aspirations, what they do with their children at home, and how they support their child's learning and development before and during school or college have a real impact on how well their children succeed.  

The Children's Plan: Progress Report (published in December 2008 by DCSF) outlines a strategy for improving parents' engagement in children's learning and development through mainstreaming parental engagement as a priority through the education system. 

As part of this work the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) have developed a series of resources to help parents support their children’s learning. They are:

  • Working Together – toolkit for parents of children aged 5 plus
  • Getting into Homework – folder pack for parents of children aged 8 to 13
  • Taking Learning Forward – coaching manual for parents of teenagers aged 14 to 19

The resources have been designed to assist parents where they need particular support. for example:

  • helping children with their homework
  • talking about school with their child; and 
  • finding ways to build a good partnership with their children’s school. 

The accompanying booklet provides more information about improving parental engagement including ideas on how to use the resources and where to get more information.  

The resources are free and can be downloaded from the DCSF website:

Working together - toolkit for parents of children aged 5 plus - This pack contains fun and familiar games, which encourage reading, talking, active play and listening. These include question cards, a wall chart, a chatterbox and a bookmark.

Getting into homework - a pack for parents of children aged 8 to 13 - The pack contains tips on how to keep talking to your child as they progress from Primary to Secondary school, as well as information around how schools work, and how you can support your child with their homework.

Coaching your teenager  - a manual for parents of teenagers aged 14 to 19 - This manual offers confidence-raising tips to help you stay involved in the later stages of your child’s learning journey. The booklet includes advice on lack of time, not knowing how to help, and useful sources of parental support and information.

Find out more at: www.direct.gov.uk/homeworksupport

Need more copies?

Find out more about parental engagement and print off copies of the resources at: www.dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatters/parentalengagementinlearning/

This website also provides Word documents featuring text from the resources that you may wish to use in locally produced resources as well as information around how you can print your own versions of the resources.

Tell the DCSF what you think

Let the DCSF know how effective you think the resources are.  You can do this by completing the short form at the back of the booklet, and returning it to us at DCSF Publications (Parental Engagement Homework support), PO Box 5050, Sherwood Park, Annesley, Nottingham, NG15 ODJ.  You can also email your comments and feedback to parental-engagement@prolog.uk.com