Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department takes steps to monitor levels of parental engagement in schools.

The department values the wealth of support parents and carers can provide schools and it strongly supports schools in their engagement with them. Many parents and carers regularly engage with schools as school governors, through parents’ associations and through everyday contact. The department does not routinely monitor levels of parental engagement in schools, but it encourages all schools to have a strategy in place which allows the views of parents and carers to be considered.

As part of government business, the department engages parents and carers to deliver effective policymaking, such as through consultations. The department also engages with a range of stakeholder organisations, some of whom represent parents and carers. For example, the parents, pupils and learners panel regularly surveys parents of primary and secondary school pupils and college learners (in classroom-based education). The panel provides robust, rapid-turnaround evidence to support the department in assessing the ongoing views and experiences of parents and pupils.

Policy teams also engage with parents and carers to gather views and feedback on specific areas. For example, the special educational needs and disabilities teams work with the National Network of Parent Carer Forums, the independent national voice for parent carer forums.

In addition, the department regularly uses its Education Hub website to communicate key updates to parents and carers. This includes popular topics, questions and answers and case studies.