Home–School Agreements: A tool for parental control or for partnership?

Abstract

Home-school agreements are part of the present government's School Standards and Framework Act (1998), which stipulated their completion by September 1999. In the present study, the arguments for and against home-school agreements are weighed up in the light of the results of a piece of research involving four inner-city primary schools. Following a consultation process in each school, written home-school agreements were produced on the basis of parents', children's and teachers' views on each other's areas of responsibilities (targets). During the evaluation phase, parents and children overwhelmingly expressed that they thought home-school agreements were useful and helped to enhance trust and understanding between parents and their school. A model for setting up or reviewing home-school agreements is proposed on the basis of the research findings. Implications for working with parents and further developing the role and power of parents in schools are illustrated. Systemic strategies that educational psychologists can use to enhance the relationship between school and parents are also outlined.