Parents and Carers as Story Making Partners
Final Report (2007-2009)

Key early findings demonstrate:

• parental motivation to support children’s learning but high levels of uncertainty from parents and carers about how to undertake this role effectively
• communication strategies need to be inclusive and thereby tailored to address family circumstances and the barriers faced by hard-to-reach parents
• a diversity of practice across settings showing the importance of personalised provision to meet local needs
• the value and importance of targeting grandparents as learning partners; a previously unexplored resource
• the commitment of leadership teams and the identification of family learning as a setting-wide priority is significant in promoting a strong culture of parental engagement. This is contributing towards the success of the Parents and Carers as Story Making Partners project and resulting in enriched practice
• the induction of Lead Tutors into the Story Making methodology is critical. Where Story Making is embedded in classrooms practice, Lead Tutors are better positioned and more confident when embarking on the family learning strand of the project
• the participation of parents as carers as equal stakeholders in the design of the learning programme is providing a means for settings to establish deeper and more meaningful parent partnerships. In some of the settings it is apparent that parent partnership exists at a more superficial level than settings had originally supposed
• the role of parents and carers as equal partners is proving to be an effective strategy for capacity building and is widening the participation of parents and carers, particularly in relation to hard-to-reach learners
• the concept of working with parents as co-designers of learning programmes is requiring an attitudinal shift from teachers and is resulting in different ways of working. This attitudinal shift is greater than the participating settings originally anticipated

Parental motivation

It is apparent that across all settings most parents are motivated to support their children’s learning but many face barriers and express high levels of uncertainty about HOW to undertake their role as learning partners. Lead Tutors and parent/carer representatives identify the following as significant barriers when seeking to engage hard-to-reach parents as learning partners:

• parents feeling uncomfortable in school surroundings often based on memories of their own school experiences
• parents facing difficulties themselves with reading and writing and expressing fear that their lack of skills will be exposed through participation in the project
• parental perceptions that membership of ‘formal’ parent groups is not for them and is considered ‘cliquey’
• fathers expressing the view that stories are the remit of mothers due to their ‘softer’ and more sedentary nature

Communication strategies

Practice during year one highlights the fact that successful partnership depends on the development of trust, respect and the development of positive relationships between home and school. Lead Tutors have recognised the need to utilise all opportunities to contact hard-to-reach parents informally. Effective strategies have included:

• one-to-one daily contact
• having a direct approach to communication (‘just ask them’)
• building relationships through school social events
• utilising existing opportunities, for example, induction meetings and home visits
• avoiding educational jargon that parents may be unfamiliar with
• making use of parent-to-parent contacts to create a ‘snowballing’ effect at the school gate
• advertising Story Making workshops to parents and carers in places they already visit such as shops and the local library. ( this has been particularly effective in one setting and extended the reach of the project to pre-school practitioners and childminders)
• using common slogans such as ‘Know One, Share One’ when promoting the sharing of intergenerational and local stories
• as issues relating to the importance of talk in families are given increased media coverage, Lead Tutors have referred to news stories in order to generate discussion

Lead Tutors report that the engagement of parents and carers as co-designers of the Story Making learning programme has been a motivational tool and given rise to increased levels of interest. Parents/carers value being consulted and have assumed a higher level of responsibility in ensuring the success of the project. Their advice on suitable communication strategies has been particularly helpful and they have played an active role in widening participation. The use of e-mail as a means of communication with parents has not been fully explored and will be a focus for development in year two. Issues of access will need to be considered as part of this focus.

Diversity of practice

Year One of the project has given rise to a diversity of practice across settings. On reflection, a number of factors account for this diversity:

Lead Tutor perceptions of the nature and extent of existing parent partnership

One of the main challenges encountered during year one related to the accuracy of the Lead Tutors’ perceptions of the degree and nature of existing parent partnership programmes and schemes in their settings. It became apparent that this varied across settings and in some cases the parent partnership was not as robust as the Lead Tutors initially thought. This meant that some of the settings had different starting points and needed to draw up an introductory programme of activities to strengthen levels of parental confidence and involvement prior to embarking on a more structured programme of workshops. These introductory activities were key in promoting a welcoming atmosphere and promoting parent confidence.

On reflection, the provision of an audit tool for schools and settings to assess existing levels of parental partnership at the outset may have been helpful in establishing a baseline for project development and would have provided a steer for the Project Coordinator in targeting support for individual settings.

Personalised provision

There is diversity of practice emerging from the participating settings with evidence that Lead Tutors are personalising provision for parents and carers to meet the needs of their communities. Models of practice include:

Parents as Ambassadors where Lead Tutors are initially recruiting and inducting a core group of parents and carers (approx 8). These groups are developing an understanding of their role as co-designers and co-facilitators of the project at local level and are playing a key role in raising the profile of the project and in tackling the challenge of engaging hard to reach parent learners.

Early on in the project, practitioners recognised the need to be strategic in their selection of a core parent and carer group. It was found that informal, yet direct, 1-1 invitations (‘just ask them’) were the most effective way of ensuring that the core group reflected the school community, socially and geographically.

Introductory programme of activities - Introductory programme of activities - settings which have historically found it difficult to engage parents (despite open door policies) have developed a programme of introductory activities with the aim of increasing levels of parental participation in a range of setting-related activities. The most successful activities, including jigsaw puzzle sessions and themed lunches have resulted in improved levels of attendance and provided opportunities for the Lead Tutors to engage parents and carers in informal discussions about the project on a 1-1 or small group basis. The introductory activities have been critical in enabling practitioners to raise the profile of Story Making and extend the reach of the project in its early stages.

Grandparents as Story Making Partners - The keen interest and involvement of grandparents as Story Making partners has added richness to the project and promoted the intergenerational exchange of family stories contributing to the children’s knowledge and understanding of their own cultural identity and local history. Settings have found that grandparents present an untapped resource and often have more time than working parents to support their grandchildren’s learning. Lead Tutors have been enthused by the interest of grandparents and had not recognised them as potential beneficiaries at the outset.

Whole school approach to family learning - One project school is implementing the project in the context of a whole school focus on family learning. The identification of family learning as a school development priority and performance management target for each member of staff has provided a coherent, joined up approach to project development. It has given rise to interesting project strands such as the promotion of Story Making in the outdoor learning environment currently being designed in close collaboration with parents/carers.

Emerging models of practice are providing interesting case study material with findings that will in time be transferable across different settings. The diversity of practice in relation to different approaches and project beneficiaries is adding richness to the project and highlighting the importance of settings providing personalised provision for families in their local communities.

Nicola Theobald
Project coordinator