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EYFS best practice in schools - Happy families?

Establishing effective relationships with parents is crucial to engaging them in their children’s education. Annette Rawstrone finds out how some schools are doing it

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Gone are the days when parents were expected to leave and collect their children at the school gates. Now schools recognise that working in partnership with parents has a positive impact on children’s well-being and learning – but what does this mean in practice?

For Judith Twani, assistant head teacher at Lakenham Primary School and Nursery in Norwich and early years trainer, this starts with a need for flexibility. ‘There can’t be a one-size-fits-all approach for families,’ she says. ‘Schools should not blame parents for not engaging but look at what they are offering and find out the thing that hooks that parent in and then build a rapport through that. Once the rapport is there, it will help when it’s time to speak about something else.’

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