7.6 Looking forward

7.6 Looking forward

Communication with parents

■To strengthen communication practices with parents, there is a need for ELC settings to share

more information about their children’s learning, and a need for more regular communication about the work of primary, special and post-primary schools.

■The potential of digital technology and our learning from the COVID-19 pandemic should be

harnessed to support effective communications and new forms of partnerships. At the same time, care is needed to ensure that restrictions, which may have been necessary during the pandemic, should not erode or impede effective relationships between schools/settings and parents in the future.

Increasing pupil/student and parent participation

■Pupil/student participation and pupil/student leadership should continue to be promoted and

developed at setting and school level. The views of children and young people should be valued, and they should be enabled to have influence in their education experiences and the work of the setting/school.

■ELC settings and schools should continue to promote meaningful engagement and the participation

of parents in their child’s education.

■Schools should ensure that parents’ views are listened to, and that parents are enabled to

have influence on the work of the school, including in the context of the Education (Student and Parent Charter) Bill and the guidelines that will be developed subsequent to the enactment of this legislation.

■The Inspectorate will continue to build on its work to increase the engagement of children,

Figure from page 223

young people, and parents in inspection processes.

Figure from page 224

management in schools