Parents and carers provide support, values and life-long lessons to their children.
At the same time, children benefit from the expertise of teaching professionals and a structured learning environment.
Research shows that engaging parents and carers in their child’s education at school leads to better educational and wellbeing outcomes.
That is why we are building stronger partnerships across education communities, between learners, parents and carers, educators and staff, to help to foster engagement and positive learning and wellbeing outcomes.
We aim to strengthen our engagement with parents and carers through five guiding principles.
Effective engagement relies on easy access. This means parents and carers need to feel welcome and safe. They also need opportunities to engage in all different ways.
Open communication builds trust between parents, carers, educators and staff. How and how much a person likes to communicate will vary. That’s why it’s important to be flexible about how we communicate.
When educators and staff form a partnership with parents and carers, everyone benefits from a diversity of views and experiences. Through partnership and collaboration, families and educators gain vital information that helps our children succeed.
Parents and carers want to feel confident their child is understood and has the support they need to achieve their potential. Confidence comes with communication, connection and responsiveness. Taking the time to mutually understand each other throughout a child’s education is highly valued.
The decisions parents and carers make and the support they provide through their child’s education can have long-term consequences. This is why they want to be included in decision-making. Parents and carers are uniquely positioned to present their child’s situation and understand any potential impacts on their life.
Find out about the initiatives that the department already has underway to enable the Parent and Carer Engagement Principles.
Find out about the department’s focus on understanding the student, parent and carer experience.
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Strong partnerships are created when parents, carers, educators and staff work together with mutual respect and a shared understanding of what is in the best interests of the learners they support.
As a parent or carer, your engagement is critical to your child’s learning journey and education outcomes.
Helpful ways to engage in your child’s education include:
You play a key role in supporting your child’s education by creating a positive learning environment for our students and engaging with NSW Public Schools in a respectful way. This involves:
treating educators and school staff with respect.
understanding the environment and constraints school staff work with, including working hours and availability.
acting in a way that creates a safe and welcoming environment.
working in partnership with the school to promote your child’s learning.
Engaging with school materials, policies and notices as needed and where appropriate.
prioritising the wellbeing of students and staff.
Read the School Community Charter for information about your responsibility and the role you play.