eNewsWire

A ‘Show & Tell’ event was held recently at Oakington Manor School in North London in which parents, teachers and bloggers came together to experience the benefits of online reporting in a real-life classroom environment. The event was organised by the government agency Becta in relation to their ‘Next Generation Learning’ campaign, which encourages the use of technology to improve communications between you and your child’s school. Oakington Manor school is innovating by not only making technology an integral part of pupils’ learning, but also making it central to the way parents can communicate with the school.

Oakington Manor’s state-of-the-art ICT suite, equipped with interactive white boards and the latest 3D learning technology, was the setting for the interactive ‘Show and Tell’ workshop. Read more…

According to a recent report released by Becta, forty-eight percent of teachers believe that while parents are a great source of support, they dont always know the best ways to get involved with their child’s education. Forty percent of parents say they think technology could help, however they don’t fully understand the ways in which they can use it. Consequently, schools need to review how they currently communicate different types of information with parents by consulting with the parents themselves and establishing whether their current form of communication is suitable.

Becta encourages schools and teachers to ask parents how they would like to receive information about: the school calendar, topics being taught in class, how topics are being taught, homework, their child’s progress and achievements, their child’s special educational needs, attendance and behaviour. Read more…

Fifty-nine percent of parents admit to being in contact with their child’s school just once a term or less according to a report commissioned by Becta into parent teacher relationships. It has been proved in numerous studies that parental involvement is key to a child’s educational success, but it seems that many parents aren’t aware of just how important their role is.

Of the parents who admitted they rarely made contact with their child’s school, more than one in five (22 percent) said they did not see how being in regular contact has any benefit for their child. Read more…

Misunderstandings, a lack of confidence and unclear communication channels are putting children’s education at risk, according to a new report commissioned by Becta into communications between schools and teachers. Fifty-nine percent of parents admit to having little contact with their child’s school and sixty percent of school staff say parents feel their job stops at the school gates. However, forty-three percent of teachers admit parents might find them ‘difficult to approach sometimes’.

Becta is the government agency leading the national drive to ensure the effective and innovative use of technology throughout teaching and learning. Read more…