ABSTRACT
These are things which the school must do to liaise with parents. Schools and teachers need to go beyond this stage and have a closer relationship with parents than this list implies if children are really going to benefit. There are many advantages for you as the teacher in working closely with parents. Parents know their children much more fully than you can ever do and you need to be ready to draw on this knowledge. Atkin et al. (1988: 7) suggest that when parents:
• understand what the school is trying to do • identify with its main goals and support its efforts • understand something of their role as educators
• take an active interest in, and provide support for their children’s school work
then the effects can be dramatic and long-lasting. Macbeth (1994: 303) gives five reasons why parents are relevant to what happens
inside school:
1. Parents are responsible in law for their child’s education, and in that sense they may be regarded as the school’s legal clients.
