ABSTRACT
This chapter attempts to get beneath the surface of some of the cliches of social work in education. It is a step in the right direction to perceive that good relations between home and school are desirable and that improvement of this relationship can be the first stage in helping children who are educationally disadvantaged. Description of this kind of home-school relationship is often enshrined in what is fast becoming another cliche, the community school. As well as being a method of linking specialists in the field, the notion of team-work has implications for the education service and local government generally. The characteristics of teams include action directed towards a particular end and restricted in scope and time, and the ability to form and dissolve according to need. Governors and managers fulfilling statutory obligations, however inappropriate these may be to present-day needs, labour under difficulties if they want to bridge the gap between school and community by voluntary effort.
