Extra Help For Parents To Get More Involved In Their Children's Education - Blunkett

Nearly nine out of 10 parents believe half an hour's homework every week day for children aged 10-11 is important, but many want assistance in helping their children with their studies, particularly in Maths. A huge majority of parents have already found the daily literacy hour useful.

A MORI poll of 1,000 parents of five to 11-year-olds revealed that two-thirds of parents felt education was the joint responsibility of schools and parents. Welcoming the poll findings, Education and Employment Secretary David Blunkett and Schools Minister Jacqui Smith unveiled a package of measures to give parents added confidence to help their children learn.

The telephone poll in November - commissioned by the DfEE to find out the help parents need to become key partners in their children's education - found:

• 85 per cent of parents thought half an hour's homework every week day for children aged 10-11 is important;
• 91 per cent of parents found the daily literacy hour useful in raising their children's reading and writing skills;
• 41 per cent of parents said they wanted more practical assistance with helping their children with Maths;
• one-third of parents worry they might be 'doing it wrong' when trying to help their children with their homework;
• two-thirds of parents see themselves as actively engaged in their children's education and believe a child's education is not just the school's responsibility;
• most parents find information supplied by schools is clear, but a significant minority (a third of C2DE parents) say there is too much jargon;
• 40 per cent of parents speak to teachers at least once a week.

Mr Blunkett said: "We want to provide parents with the help that this poll shows they clearly want, without adding to their burdens or piling on extra responsibilities. We have asked parents what they want and we are listening to what they are telling us.

"The expectations parents have of their children, the interest they show in their children's work, and the way they support their child's learning are all important factors in helping to raise standards. We want to provide as much help as we can to parents in fulfilling that role. That's why we will give parents more authoritative and accessible information about what their children are learning than ever before.

"Parents have clearly found the literacy hour helpful in assisting their children with reading and writing, and we have seen a significant boost in the attainment of 11-year-olds in English as a result. Now we want parents to have a can-do attitude towards Maths. We will encourage them during Maths Year 2000 - as the numeracy strategy rolls out in schools - by showing them how they can help their children with maths. Today we are issuing It All Adds Up, a maths leaflet for parents with handy tips, puzzles and games to help them boost their children's confidence with numbers."

Jacqui Smith launched a website for parents which will allow parents unparalleled access to information directly relevant to them and their children. Parents can key in their location and have immediate access to local information, from performance tables to Ofsted reports. They can also get advice on choosing a school, tips on questions to ask at parents' evenings, and information on exciting days out for their children.

More help for parents will be in place by September 2000. There will be:

• a parents' guide to the new National Curriculum to help parents understand what their children are learning at different Key Stages;
• topic leaflets linked to the curriculum showing parents how to encourage their children's learning with things to do at home and places to visit;
• a magazine for parents with hints and tips on how to make learning fun.

Jacqui Smith said: "Most parents want to help their children learn but many do not know how. Up until now, parents and children have had no established maps or guidebooks to make the changed world of education clear and accessible. We are taking the opportunity of the introduction of the new National Curriculum next September to try to bring parents into closer partnership with schools and what children are doing in them through our Learning Journey project.

"We have already provided teachers with a new National Curriculum Handbook. But we recognise that parents need to work in partnership with teachers. That's why we will provide parents with a Parents' Guide to the National Curriculum to help them understand what their children are learning in different Key Stages and how they as parents can help. The guide will give parents the confidence to talk to teachers about their children's progress.

"In addition, my Department is currently piloting National Curriculum topic leaflets which will help parents support what their children are learning in school - for example, electricity or Roman Britain - and suggest museums to visit. And we are piloting a magazine for parents with plenty of advice for parents on how to help their children learn and keeping them informed of any changes in schools.

"But we haven't forgotten the children themselves. We intend to help them make sense of their own learning journey with a Learner's Map - similar in concept to the London Underground Map - which will set out the landscape of their learning, showing the connections, the possible routes and the destinations."

1. The Government has already been encouraging parents to become more closely involved with their children's education. It has required schools to produce, in consultation with parents, home-school agreements which set out expectations about attendance, discipline, homework, and the information schools and parents will give to one another. And the Government has given parents a direct input into Local Education Authority policies by introducing parent governor representatives on education committees.
2. Around a third of parents have access to the Internet. Because many are not online, the Government will be encouraging schools and libraries to provide access to the Parents' Website, with facilities for material to be printed out in a hard copy.
3. The magazine for parents is aimed at parents with children aged 5-11 and was piloted in Newcastle and South Devon from 18 October until 27 November. We will soon begin research among parents in these areas to find out what they thought of the magazine, whether it was helpful to them and what changes they might recommend. We will also seek teachers' views.
4. MORI interviewed a representative sample of parents with children aged five to 11 at primary school throughout England. Interviewing was conducted by telephone between 16-21 November 1999.
5. The Maths Year 2000 website is up and running from today. You can access it at
www.mathsyear2000.org