PUPILS who skip school could find teachers at their door as part of a government drive to boost attendance.
But Britain’s strictest headteacher Katharine Birbalsingh tells Claire Dunwell that it’s down to parents too. Here, she shares her tips.
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Show a united front
Having a strong and respectful relationship with your child’s teachers will help them get the most out of their education.
Parents should introduce themselves to their child’s teacher or the head of year at the school gates or parents’ evening.
Connecting with them early will make things easier if you have any issues you want to talk to them about later in the school year.
If an issue arises, be careful to never fly off the handle.
Even if you have a problem with the school, raise it quietly and never tell your child. If your child is to succeed, you must show a united front with the school at all times.
Parents often think they are backing their child by arguing against the school.
But they don’t realise that, by backing the school, you are in turn supporting your child as we only want the best for them.
Never let them be late
Set your children up for success by making sure they have the right equipment and uniform.
Parents need to follow the rules set by the school — if you don’t, your child may get into trouble for things you could have sorted at home.
It’s essential you teach them good time management and never let them be late — otherwise your child is starting the day on the back foot and may get in trouble.
Why take the risk by sending them in with the wrong-length skirt or without a compass in their pencil case?
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Homework is on you
A lot of parents pass the buck to their kids when it comes to homework — but it’s your responsibility to make sure that it’s done, no matter how old they are.
You might get lucky and have a child who doesn’t need nudging to do their homework — but others may need your help daily.
Make sure you check in with your kids — ask them what homework they’ve got and actually check it has been completed (don’t take their word for it).
If they haven’t managed to complete it, write in their book what happened and why, so their teacher can see.
Be a pushy parent
Parents can go above and beyond with their child’s learning by getting them to do extra work.
Tap into apps like Numerise, which is a great learning tool for maths and covers Year 6, KS3 and GCSE.
It’s a good way to bond — and it will help your child to feel successful when they can repeat their extra learning in class.
Never pushing your kids to do more might keep them happy in the moment — but the end result is that your child is going to underachieve.
Create an environment which encourages them to work hard.
‘Thank’ teachers for punishment
Some children might think they can manipulate their parents into believing every-thing they say.
If there’s been a disagreement between them and a teacher, don’t instantly jump on the phone and kick off to the school.
Parents don’t realise that it isn’t advantageous to a teacher when they punish a child.
Doing so causes the teacher hassle — it is far easier to let an incident go.
Pursuing an incident in school shows they care about your child and want to show them they can’t behave in a certain way.
If they’re punishing your child, good for them. Not only should you accept it, you should thank them for it.
Your school cares about your child enough to hold their standards high for your child.
You could even send a Christmas card to a child’s teacher, thanking them for their hard work — with specifics such as, “My daughter really learned from that detention you gave her”.
Don’t gossip about school
Parents who gossip with each other about a school aren’t interested in sorting an issue out, they just want to complain.
They need to be brave enough to talk to someone at school about their worries — it isn’t about picking a fight.
First, book in to see your child’s tutor or the head of year to say you have a complaint, and see if they are going to do something about it.
If you’re not happy with the response, then book in to see the head-teacher.
If you still aren’t satisfied, then you can always write to the school governors.
But ask yourself this: Is my goal to complain and make myself feel better? Or is it to make my child’s experience at school better?
If it’s the latter, the only way parents can do that is by comm-unicating with the school.
YOU DON’T RUN SCHOOL
Ask yourself what you want out of your child’s education.
If you want them to do well and succeed, don’t complain about everything. Leave the teachers to teach.
If you are the kind of parent who is objecting to school about your child’s detentions, I can guarantee your child is going to under-achieve in their GCSEs.
You don’t care enough to hold the parenting line and it’s only when parents and teachers hold it properly that their children will succeed.
You need to remember that, as a parent, you don’t run the school.
Only ask questions over major things, because writing to the governors about a detention is mad.
Show the teachers respect because they are professionals, and they do a job you don’t know how to do. Ultimately, they have your child’s best interests at heart.
- Katherine Birbalsingh is head of the Michaela Community School in Wembley, North London, which achieved 98 per cent 4+ (C) pass rate in this summer’s GCSEs.
