Let’s get talking
My childhood taught me how much a supportive school community can shape a future. I grew up facing many of the challenges children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds today are facing, and my journey could have unfolded very differently. What changed my path was the belief and encouragement I received from people who saw potential in me.
As a young parent, I returned to education while raising my children. During this time, I volunteered at my children’s school, where I was supported and encouraged by the headteacher, Andrea. Her belief in my potential was instrumental. She supported me first as a parent engaging with the school community, and later encouraged me to pursue opportunities in education, offering me my first professional role. This led me into further study and the work I do now as a leader, researcher and parent within this community.
This is why parent partnership matters to me. I know what it feels like to want the best for your child but not always feel equipped or confident enough to support them. I also know how powerful it is when schools and families work together in a meaningful way. In our community, many families experience the same challenges I once did, and it is this shared understanding that drives me to ensure every parent feels valued and empowered.
Understanding the challenge
My doctoral research looks at how family background can influence how adults understand school learning. When parents understand the learning process, they feel able to support their children at home. This is where true partnership begins and where the gap between home and school starts to close.
As practitioners, what this means is that we need to be aware that some children enter school having experienced a wide range of play and early learning opportunities. Others have not had these experiences, so classroom tasks can feel unfamiliar. It is not a question of ability. It is a question of confidence, exposure and understanding how learning works.
Learning Cafés: A solution built with families
As part of my research, I wanted to find a way to support families in a practical and accessible way. So, I developed Learning Cafés. These sessions, together with parents:
take place in the classroom
• mirror a real lesson
• help parents experience teaching methods first-hand
• allow children to explain their learning to adults
• build confidence in a supportive and welcoming environment
Each half term, staff and I look closely at the needs of the cohort. We then design a session that helps parents understand the skills their children need most. When we focused on early reading, children proudly demonstrated blending and digraphs to their adults. One parent later shared how pleased she was to identify the digraph “ck” at home. These moments may seem small, but they create trust, confidence and genuine partnership.
The impact on children, parents and the school
The Learning Cafés have grown into a vital part of our school culture. Attendance is consistently above 90 percent and when a parent cannot attend, a grandparent or relative often steps in. Conversations with families are more meaningful, and parents now use accurate terminology when talking about learning. Sessions are so popular that we sometimes run activities inside and outside to allow for additional capacity but still keep the groups small and intentional.
These efforts are reflected in our outcomes. Our Good Level of Development reached 80 percent this year, an increase on previous years, and we believe that strong parental engagement contributed significantly to this result. More importantly, parents feel confident, children feel proud and our classrooms feel like shared spaces that belong to families as much as to staff.
Looking ahead
My research continues to explore what effective parental engagement looks like in different schools. When families are described as hard to reach, it is usually the system or approach that feels hard to access. With the right support and understanding, parents engage deeply and meaningfully.
This is where Thrive at Five’s role is so important. By working alongside practitioners and the wider system, Thrive at Five helps create the conditions for this kind of engagement to happen more consistently, supporting schools to learn from one another and embed approaches that strengthen parent and school partnerships over time.
I have seen it in my own life, and I see it every day in our school. When we invest in parents, we invest in children. And when children feel supported at school and at home, they are able to thrive, both now and in the future.