Final word
Giving a voice to parents
PHOTO by Kois Miah
Fact file
Kerry-Jane Packman is executive director of programmes, membership & charitable services at Parentkind. She has worked in the charitable sector for 20 years, including at International Medical Corps, Macmillan, Cancer Research UK and the British Heart Foundation. 50
PARENTKIND is a membership organisation for parent-teacher associations (PTA) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In May, Parentkind co-signed a letter with the NEU to Education Secretary Gavin Williamson raising concerns about the rush to reopen schools, and we have supported the NEU’s five tests for reopening. I had been expecting to be launching Parentkind’s exciting new ‘blueprint’ for family-friendly schools when the announcement came that schools were closing in an attempt to slow the spread of coronavirus. Usually at this time of year, our PTA members would be planning their summer fair – the biggest fundraising event of the calendar year, where parent volunteers raise invaluable extra cash for their school. But like all of us involved in education, our focus shifted as schools closed and parents had to adjust to having their child learning from home. We reached out to find out how they were getting on with the ‘new normal’, what their concerns and fears were for their child’s education and wellbeing, and what resources and support they needed. More than 250,000 respond to Parentkind survey Our first survey, taken immediately after it was announced that schools were closing, had a good response rate – almost 700 submissions. But when we returned to the subject a few weeks later, it was immediately clear that parents’ concerns had intensified – we received thousands of responses within a few days of launching it. The chance for parents to have a say caught the imaginations of individual parents, PTAs, schools and
educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU)
other charitable organisations who were keen to help us spread the word on social media. Our friends and colleagues in teaching unions and other stakeholders also spread the word, and the Department for Education (DfE) in England shared it on its Facebook page. The end result was an incredible 257,392 responses, defying even our most optimistic expectations (full survey at bit.ly/2z0KUpp). Parents voice their fears over early school return Our findings were widely shared in the media, including on BBC News. Only ten per cent of parents told us they would be happy for their child to return to school immediately if lockdown were ended. Forty per cent wanted safety assurances from Government or school leaders, 32 per cent were comfortable with a return date in July or later, and ten per cent wished to wait for a vaccination. We supported the NEU’s petition demanding the Government satisfy five safety tests before schools reopen, and we have the evidence that the majority of parents want this level of reassurance too. We presented our findings to the DfE in the hope that it would give due consideration to how it would both reassure parents and listen to their concerns in planning for children’s return to school. Parentkind will continue to champion all parents who are supporting their child’s learning, whether that’s in the home environment or at school. In this time of great uncertainty, we remain committed to being an evidenceled voice for parents in education, and providing our PTA members and supporters with invaluable resources to ensure that the next generation enjoys the education they need and deserve. Find out more at parentkind.org.uk
