ABSTRACT
Teachers and pupils are two of the key components in learning and schooling. But there is
a third party in the equation: pupils’ parents and families. Parents are their children’s first
and most influential teachers, and research has shown that parental engagement is a power-
ful lever for raising achievement in schools. Therefore, engaging parents and the children’s
wider and extended family is a very powerful tool in helping to build children’s success both
in school and at home. Research shows that excellent home-school links have a significant
and positive impact on a child’s performance at school (Fan and Chen 2001). A report written
for the DfES (Desforges and Abouchaar 2003) showed that learning at home was the biggest
influence on the achievement of children aged 3 to 7.
