Organization: The Scottish Government
Country: U.K.
Education level: Early Childhood, Primary, Lower Secondary, Upper Secondary
Organization type: Government
Family engagement type: Promoting Participation and Decision-Making
Overview
Scotland has enacted a suite of educational reforms since the 1980s to increase the quality of Scottish schools (Education Scotland, n.d.). However, there were few national legislations that explicitly focused on family engagement in education. Responding to research highlighting the benefits of family involvement, the Scottish government passed the Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement) Act in 2006 to promote more meaningful interactions between families and schools. The legislation mandated that Scottish ministers and local education authorities take a number of actions to increase parent involvement and transform school boards into Parent Forums and Councils. Unlike school boards which had few elected parent/caregiver representatives, the Parent Forum and Council system directly reached every parent of the school. Every parent/caregiver in the school is automatically enrolled as a member of a Parent Forum and then can decide to participate in Councils. Councils are designed to be flexible committees to improve links between all parents and the school, work jointly with school to set up activities, and represent parents’ views to the education authority amongst other responsibilities. More broadly, education authorities of each municipal government were required to improve involvement in three main ways: learning at home, home-school partnerships, and parental representation (Scottish Government, 2006).
Subsequent to the implementation of the Parental Involvement Act, independent reviews concluded that the act had been successful in increasing parent involvement, where 76% of surveyed parents said they had been given the opportunity to be included in their child’s education. (National Parent Forum of Scotland, n.d.). However, government officials still observed lasting challenges and barriers to effective parent/caregiver involvement. They wanted to build on the previous policy changes to create a national framework for parent engagement, where the government would work in conjunction with local actors to create a more parent-focused education system. In order to accomplish this, the Scottish government worked alongside Education Scotland (the Scottish government executive agency for education) and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities to create the National Action Plan on Parental Involvement, Engagement, Family Learning and Learning at Home, established in 2018. The plan was created in consultation with a number of partners and stakeholder organizations, including parents groups and teachers associations.
How does it work?
The 2018 National Action Plan began with clearly defining a vision, goals, and strategies for how the Scottish government would promote parent engagement within the education system from 2018 to 2021, covering the journey a child takes from before birth to age 18 (Scottish Government, 2018). Five main growth areas were identified: parent involvement; parent engagement, family learning, and learning from home; equalities and equity; leadership and skills; and evidence, inspection, and improvement. Each section contained multiple goals. Under each goal, there were several discrete actions for the Scottish government and Education Scotland to implement. For example, one of the five goals of the parent involvement section was focused on expanding opportunities for parents to collaborate at every level of the education system. To achieve this goal, the Scottish government committed to, among other actions, developing a policymaker’s toolkit for parent involvement and increasing the use of participatory budgeting—a system where parents are involved in the budgeting process.
The National Action Plan also provided spotlights and case studies of specific examples of parent engagement, along with key steps for local authorities, practitioners, managers, and families to achieve each goal. Overall, the plan contains 13 goals and 52 national actions to be completed by the government and its partners.
What makes it work?
The National Action Plan provides a national vision but allows for local and community innovation and flexibility. The plan breaks down the work needed into manageable goals and actions to be taken by the Scottish government over three years. Importantly, the plan highlights the leadership of those who make a difference every day: parents and families, teachers, head teachers, managers, practitioners, and other partners. The framework provides suggestions for how leaders can align themselves to the framework but ultimately allows them to adapt it to their local context as they see fit. The plan is based on the guiding principle of “getting it right for every child,” which encourages youth service providers to streamline their systems and work together so “young people can receive the right help, at the right time, from the right people” (Scottish Government, n.d.). The aim is to help them to grow up feeling loved, safe, and respected so that they can realize their full potential.
The theme at the heart of the plan is building relationships between the parents and their school based on trust, mutual respect, and collaboration. Through its methodology, the plan also creates collaborative relationships between the Scottish government, national parenting organizations, practitioners, partner organizations, education nongovernmental organizations, and schools. In addition, the plan focuses on equity in all its goals and actions. Under the plan, policymakers recognize that each family can face barriers to engagement and work to provide local leaders with the tools and flexibility to effectively connect with all families.
What is the impact?
The National Action Plan has had a positive impact on the entire Scottish school system for the three years it has been in place, which includes 2,476 schools and 2,587 early learning centers (Scottish Government, 2020). The plan directly affects the 702,197 students currently in these schools and the 53,400 teachers working within them (Scottish Government, 2020). To make implementation more effective, the Scottish government convened a number of working groups for high-priority actions. The government also created a Learning Together network, in which practitioners, academics, and policymakers were brought together to collaborate on how best to encourage parent engagement. The network additionally worked to identify and provide support for local champions of parent engagement. The Scottish government also created a Learning Together steering group to ensure accountability for the action plan. Made up of several different education-focused organizations and governmental bodies, the group coordinates implementation of the plan and tracks its progress, in addition to reviewing monthly reports submitted by actors within the plan. The group ensures local actors are working toward the actions and goals laid out in the plan but avoids micromanaging them.
Resources and testimonials
- Learning Together: National Action Plan on Parental Involvement, Engagement, Family Learning and Learning at Home, 2018–21
- Review of the Impact of the Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement) Act 2006
- Douglas Academy’s response to National Action Plan
- South West Educational Improvement Collaborative’s response to National Action Plan
Roles
Staff:
- The Scottish government collaborates with partners like the National Parent Forum of Scotland, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, principals associations, and more to create the National Action Plan.
- The Scottish government and its partners implement the plan and its 52 actions, including funding programs, updating old frameworks and policies, and developing new reports and materials.
- Both the National Parent Forum and the Learning Together steering group monitor progress toward achieving larger objectives and goals.
- Local government officials, schools, organizations, and working groups work with the government as outlined in the plan, provide suggestions on ways to increase engagement, and incorporate the plan into their own parent engagement strategy documents.
Families:
- Families participate in programs implemented through the plan and use the new resources and learning materials the plan has created.
- Members of parent councils and other parents provide feedback on the National Action Plan and recommend additional activities.
Resources required
People:
- Staff at the Learning Directorate of the Scottish government and at Education Scotland work together to create the plan.
Financial:
- Salaries for employees making the plan
Technology:
- The plan is published on the Scottish government’s website.
- The plan is promoted via email and social media.
References
Education Scotland. (n.d.). Legislation. https://education.gov.scot/education-scotland/scottish-education-system/policy-for-scottish-education/legislation/
National Parent Forum of Scotland. (n.d.). Review of the impact of the Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement) Act 2006. https://www.npfs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Final-E-versionpdf.pdf
Scottish Government. (n.d.). Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC). https://www.gov.scot/policies/girfec/
Scottish Government. (2006, September 12). Guidance on the Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement) Act 2006. https://www.gov.scot/publications/guidance-scottish-schools-parental-involvement-act-2006/
Scottish Government. (2018, August 21). Learning together: National action plan on parental involvement, engagement, family learning and learning at home 2018–2021. https://www.gov.scot/publications/learning-together-scotlands-national-action-plan-parental-involvement-parental-engagement/
Scottish Government. (2020, December 15). Schools in Scotland—summary statistics: 2020https://www.gov.scot/publications/summary-statistics-schools-scotland-2020/pages/1/