What are the best ways to build trust with parents through effective communication?

It's a small tip but nonetheless important. You must let the parent know you are on THE SAME TEAM. This is absolutely critical. You must understand: many parents feel ashamed when their kid plays up because deep down they believe their bad behaviour is an indictment of their parenting. So when you criticise the child, they think you are criticising them! So from the top of the conversation say to them "Mr. and Mrs X, I know that the situation seems dire, but I want you to know no matter what happens, that I want the very best for your child and I want to work with you to make it happen." That type of dialogue helps build rapport with the parents and more likely to engage with you.

I find that parents just want the best for their children. It may feel daunting at times to pick up the phone and call a parent, especially when they send an upset email, but that personal connection is always best. It is like I teach my high schoolers, you cannot truly understand emotions through digital messages, you have to talk to people. So to understand a parents perspective, pick up the phone and make a connection. It builds trust on both ends and starts a relationship that benefits all stakeholders, especially the student. This first conversation is the key to understanding.

I use the Lesson Notes section of my scheduling and invoicing software to allow me to send a short report on what we've done in that lesson, where we are going next, or anything the student has done well. Older students won't always give details to their parents but sending out a short note helps to keep parents up to date with where we are and where we are going next.

When I was in the classroom, I used some strategies that I found helped my interactions with parents to generally be positive (even if the parents were initially dissatisfied). I always started each e-mail response with "Thank you for contacting me." I wanted them to know that I valued their feedback, even if it was negative. Whether in e-mail or in person, I would always encourage them to share their perspective. "This is what I am seeing with [name], but you are the expert on your own child. What do you think is happening here?" Letting them know that I was open to feedback and acknowledging their better understanding of their child helped them see that I respected them which helped us to work as a team to address the issue.

Do remember though to keep your boundaries in place. You can listen to feedback and be open to suggestions and input, but you are the teacher, the expert, and you know what you can do. Do be flexible but don't let parents push past your boundaries

Parents are required to partner with educators to ensure the learner gets the most from it. There is evidence showing a child's learning tails off over the summer holidays...this tells us without parents buy in the learner will be less successful. Educators provide a service and have to be flexible to each learner and the parents to achieve the full potential.

I think that one of the ways in which to build trust is by making yourself visible and available to speak to parents. As head teacher I stand on the school gate every morning and at the end of the every day - meeting and greeting children and parents as they drop off / pick up. I greet pupils by their names and always ask parents 'How are you?' From this, conversations begin to develop and barriers start to be broken as parents see you as being someone who is invested and interested. Other parents notice and start to talk. As positive relationships grow, parents feel comfortable to approach you and so the trust builds.