Parent-teacher communication- A comprehensive guide for Schools

Communication helps us exist. It enables us to connect the world around us. It’s not just crucial for life. It’s also an essential aspect of child development.

In this article, we will address:

• Why is it important to build relationships with parents??

• How can schools communicate with parents more effectively?

• How to provide effective home-school communication?

• We will also uncover top parents’ evening communication tips for teachers.

Looking for more?

We also have some tech recommendations to streamline communication in the end.

So this article will be your complete guide on “How to communicate with parents effectively?”?

Before we start here is a question that needs answering.

Why is it Important to Build Relationships with Parents as a School?

‘Parental engagement in children’s learning and the quality of the home learning environment are associated with improved academic outcomes at all ages.’

Fact: Positive parental support and engagement can have a significant impact on a child’s education.

So, it is vital that schools do all they can to foster effective working relationships with parents.

If parents are completely informed about their child’s progress, they can support them through transitions, daily routines, and class work.

?The benefits are not just linked to academic improvement – a pupil’s personal, social, and emotional development are all influenced by the nature of parent-teacher relationships.

Effective home-school communication can make children feel more confident and valued in their setting, which can improve attendance. It can also help children to foster a love of learning, which can be further enhanced by support from both their parents and teachers.

On the other hand, It will improve teaching and learning.

Home-school communication also helps teachers to teach better. Understanding more about the child’s home environment, and their needs and interests, can help teachers to tailor their provision accordingly.?

This includes adaptations to curriculum mapping to encompass a particular child’s interests. That will drastically improve the overall performance of a school.

And finally, It will drastically improve your school's reputation which is essential to build a BRAND.

Effective home-school communication also helps parents to appreciate teachers’ responsibilities, gain a greater perspective of the school’s efforts and aims, and grasp a strong understanding of the school’s academic program.

Let your parents be your advocate. A happy customer is your best advocate. Grow your School through communication and ensure every child's success.

Build trust and your brand shall automatically built.

How can Schools Engage More Effectively with Parents?

“Schools and parents have a shared interest in doing the best for their children.”

Source: Sir Keven Collins, Chief Executive of the Education Endowment Foundation.

Here are some crucial tips:

1. Be Clear and Consistent: Communication should be clear, concise, and respectful to ensure children's well-being. Transparent communication reduces unnecessary anxieties. Schools should streamline administrative tasks through strategic communication procedures. Schools should also provide guidance on communication methods, such as apps (TALIB), and maintain a consistent tone across all channels.
2. Make it Accessible: Communication should be accessible to everyone in the school community. Schools should therefore be aware of accessibility needs to make sure that their communication reaches as many parents as possible.?Team GLOWSIMS helps you to ensure that everyone has the means to communicate. Technologies like TALIB and MULLAM make it possible for everyone to communicate via Mobile phones.
3. Involve Parents in Decision Making: To find out which method of communication parents find most valuable, schools can send out surveys and questionnaires. This means that decisions made surrounding communication are as informed as possible. Schools should also ensure that parents and staff are aware of the expectations surrounding direct messaging on school platforms, such as SMS, WhatsApp, or a dedicated platform like Learning Management System. (LMS)? Parents should not expect an immediate response to a message sent at 8 p.m. Guidelines should dictate where and when it is appropriate to send direct messages and when to expect a response.
4. Review and Plan: This process should not be laborious or time-consuming; it should allow the school to work smarter to ensure that its communication has the desired impact. Listening to all parents, including those who are less involved in both their child’s progress and achievement and wider school life, will help schools to pinpoint what is working well, and what is not.
5. Suggest Ways that Parents Can Help: Parents can help children at home in numerous ways.?Firstly, they can encourage their child to set goals, manage their time and workload, prioritize their wellbeing, and regulate their emotions. This kind of support will help them to navigate their learning more effectively. Schools can also encourage parents to be positive reading role models. Shared reading supports language development and literacy at all ages, especially in the Early Years.? You can focus on the interactivity element of reading, so parents feel confident discussing texts with their children. Schools can encourage a book swap service, train parents how to use the school’s Platform- and involve them in summer reading initiatives. (A Summer Plan for parents-students.) Schools can also promote fun, collaborative games that families can enjoy at home to support different areas of the curriculum – they can share these through TALIB (It's a dedicated app made for home-school communication) .?

How to Communicate with Parents ?

Here are the most important tips for communicating with parents effectively.

If you are a teacher, then communication is an essential aspect of your role: it is a skill that you can continually revise and improve. Consider these strategies when communicating with parents in your setting:

Do

Provide advance notice – Parents welcome advance notice of key dates and deadlines, so be sure to make this clear. Many will have work and caring responsibilities to manage, so forewarning is almost always appreciated. If you are sending out notifications via TALIB, make sure that parents understand how to turn these on and off.

Be warm and respectful – Adopting a warm, respectful, and professional tone in all face-to-face and written communications. As the saying goes, treat others as you would like to be treated.

Listen – In order to gain a true understanding of what a parent is trying to say, try to listen actively. Ask questions and be sure to provide a summary of what has been said in order to avoid misunderstanding.

• For example, ‘What I understand from what has been said is… Am I right?’ Acknowledging parent's thoughts and feelings helps them to feel valued.

Don’t

Ignore contact – It is vital that you respond in a timely manner to parents' emails. Even if you respond with, ‘Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I will get back to you with more information on Monday.

• Doing so will help them to feel valued, and give you time to consider how best to manage the situation if it is not something that requires immediate action.

Use complex language – Using language that is overly complicated or filled with abbreviations does not help inclusivity. In fact, it can alienate your audience, so keep your communications concise and accessible.

Be reactive – If you are faced with a challenging situation, and you are unsure how to manage it, try to avoid providing an immediate response. When emotions are high, it is difficult to have a sense of perspective. Speak to your colleagues and consider the best course of action moving forward.

By following the mentioned strategies you can not only build a healthy relationship with parent and teacher– You’ll also build a strong brand.

Some Recommendations:

Here is how GLOWSIMS can help you grow fast and build a healthy relationship with parents. Our solo-mission is to make technology accessible to schools and help them solve all problems.

Our team has spent over 3 years in researching and building a platform which will eliminate every communication barrier that comes between parents and teachers.

These Systems make your school digital. From informed diaries, creative assignments to online fee payment. We have got you covered with TALIB and MULLAM .?

We provide schools with advanced learning management systems . This system is proven and has been used by 1000+ Schools.

If you want us to help you bridge the gap between parents and teachers while growing your business.

Contact us today.

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