The BMRB Social Research into Parental Involvement in Education, which surveyed 2,019 households with children aged five to 16 at state schools, found that awareness of the daily maths lesson had decreased since 1999, despite Government efforts to involve parents more closely in their children's education.
Terms relating to the national curriculum, such as SATs, performance tables and key stages were better known than the home-school agreement, which more than one-third (35 per cent) of parents claimed not to have heard of even though all should have been asked to sign one.
The research found around one in three parents felt 'very involved' in their child's school life, with primary school parents more likely to feel this way than secondary school parents. Mothers were also more likely to feel 'very involved' than fathers.
Nearly three-quarters (72 per cent) of parents said they wanted to be more involved but that barriers to this included work commitments, the demands of other children, childcare difficulties and a general lack of time. A large majority of parents (94 per cent) found their child's school welcoming and most valued face-to-face contact with teachers. But 16 per cent said they would be labelled 'troublemakers if they talked too much'. And a significant minority (27 per cent) felt that general information from the school was spoilt by jargon.
One in five parents claimed to have helped out in class, and 9 per cent said they did so whenever there was an opportunity. Only 3 per cent said they had never been to a parents' evening.
The researchers concluded, 'Many parents appear to be unaware of the terminology surrounding the most fundamental elements of their children's education, which suggests that parents are skim-reading written information at best, expecting teachers to tell them all they need to know.'
They added, 'Many parents who claim to want more involvement are waiting for the school to tell them what they can do, rather than actively finding out for themselves.'