ABSTRACT
Prior to the 1960s the home and the school were to a large extent viewed as two separate social institutions and the general expectation was that parents would not participate in the educational processes, though they might want to be informed about the school's aims and teaching methods. Evidence about the performance of children from working-class backgrounds led researchers to try to identify the sources of educational failure associated with poverty and other forms of disadvantage. Five positions, or parental stances have been identified viz., work ethic, distance, familiar, sceptical, and deferential. The Taylor Report proposed that school governing bodies should obtain information on how their school is seen by the community which it services. For the legislation has provided a basis for such a role for governing bodies. Thus the nature, direction and effectiveness of community control in the managing and governing of primary schools has become a major issue of local and national politics.
