ABSTRACT
Parents and secondary schools face a dilemma. The home is clearly a critical influence in determining how well a child will perform at school. However, the characteristics of the early years of primary school which are so conducive to active parental involvement are long gone by the time a child enters secondary school. The syllabus becomes increasingly complex and difficult for parents to understand; children begin to demand more independence from their parents; parents may want to return to work and have less time to devote to their children; there are more teachers for parents to relate to; the regular daily contact of picking up children has gone and the atmosphere and appearance of a secondary school can often be intimidating. These obstacles to a positive home–school relationship seem compounded by the fact that most of the literature and debate that surrounds this subject is also rooted in the early years of primary school.
