Education: Parental Support (Hansard, 27 October 2003)

§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Skills (Baroness Ashton of Upholland)
My Lords, we want to help parents and schools to work well together and to raise children's achievement. We are actively encouraging parents to become more closely involved in their children's education at home and at school. We are making schools aware of key research findings and good practice on parental involvement. We are also telling parents about the free materials available to help them support their children's learning.

§ Baroness Sharp of Guildford
My Lords, I thank the Minister for her reply. We know that with Sure Start a great deal of work is being done to encourage parents to be involved with their children's education in the early years. Given that the Campaign for Learning report—based on work done for the DfES by Professor Desforges at Exeter University—indicates that parental involvement in education is eight times more likely to be a determinant of academic achievement than social class, does the Minister think that enough is being done to carry that forward and to involve parents in their children's education at the primary and secondary stage?

§ Baroness Ashton of Upholland
My Lords, I pay tribute to the research carried out by Professor 5 Desforges for the Department for Education and Skills. Sure Start is a good example of the importance of early years support. We want the message of Sure Start—that is, key parental involvement—to continue through primary and secondary schools. We have a head teachers' group looking specifically at secondary schools and parental involvement. A programme of work has also been started to ensure that parents receive as much information as possible to support their children in primary education.

§ Baroness Massey of Darwen
My Lords, is my noble friend aware of the importance of school governors?

A noble Lord
Order.

§ Baroness Blatch
My Lords, I agree with the noble Baroness. When parents and schools pull together in the interests of children, that is a powerful incentive for children to do well. Does the noble Baroness agree that for many children who are not supported at home— sadly, that is a growing number of children—one reform that would be enormously helpful would be a reduction in the amount of course work required for public examinations? Those children are seriously disadvantaged in examinations.

§ Baroness Ashton of Upholland
My Lords, the noble Baroness raises an important issue. However, I would approach it by asking: how do we support those children as effectively as we can? There is an important part that we can play in the education system—for example, through extended schools—in order to get the right kind of support to those children through study support, which we know has a huge impact, and through other means.

§ Baroness Massey of Darwen
My Lords, is my noble friend aware that school governing bodies now have many parents on them? In particular, many schools have developed sub-committees, such as the one in my school where school governors monitor curriculum and performance. Is she further aware that school governing bodies also develop links with the school community, which can help to improve not only the performance but also the behaviour of children?

§ Baroness Ashton of Upholland
My Lords, I agree with my noble friend. The role of the local community and the parents is critical. It is very important that we ensure that parents an; involved and are aware of the issues surrounding their children's education—that is, issues of attendance, truancy, behaviour and so forth—from the earliest possible age. It is beholden on parents to become involved. Our job is to support them. Schools also need to reach out to parents— perhaps those who do not spend much time in the school playground.

§ The Lord Bishop of Portsmouth
My Lords—

§ Baroness Oppenheim-Barnes
My Lords—

Noble Lords
Cross Benches!

§ The Lord President of the Council (Baroness Amos)
My Lords, I think that the House would like to hear from the right reverend Prelate.

§ The Lord Bishop of Portsmouth
My Lords, this is a very difficult question. I think that the House would agree that parental support can be two-edged. There are situations in which parental support can put undue pressure on pupils to over-achieve. However, do the Government agree that one of the most fruitful developments to deal with the problem is to encourage after-school activities where voluntary organisations such as the Church are often involved?

§ Baroness Ashton of Upholland
My Lords, the right reverend Prelate has made an important point and I pay tribute to the work of the Churches in this area. It is true that we must ensure that parents are given good advice. Our leaflets and the new parent-centred website are designed to ensure that parents are able to support their children in the most appropriate ways; that is, offering support without exerting the kind of pressure alluded to by the right reverend Prelate. We shall ensure that those materials are made available to parents to enable them to support their children.

§ Baroness Oppenheim-Barnes
My Lords—

Noble Lords
Cross Benches!

§ Baroness Howe of Idlicote
My Lords, does the Minister agree that, regrettably, many parents— perhaps especially those in economically deprived areas—have rather negative views about their own schooling? Does she also agree that one good way of helping such parents to play a rather more positive role would be to encourage more schools to establish "drop-in centres", as seen in certain Sure Start areas, providing a wide choice of ways in which parents and children could get into the habit of working and learning together from an early age?

§ Baroness Ashton of Upholland
My Lords, I agree with the noble Baroness, Lady Howe. We need to do more to help schools to encourage extended schooling. Further, we are undertaking work with unemployed parents to help them better to support their children's education.

§ Baroness Oppenheim-Barnes
My Lords, the Minister has acknowledged that parental, school and pupil involvement together are very important. Would she also acknowledge that a complete disaster is about to take place in Gloucester, where the Labour-Liberal county council has threatened to take children out of the grammar schools, against the wishes of their parents, and to distribute them between schools that 7 are less successful in order to try to raise standards in those schools? Does the noble Baroness support that policy?

§ Baroness Ashton of Upholland
My Lords, having explained our position through my previous answer, I would say to the noble Baroness that her question is rather wide of the Question before the House.