ABSTRACT
This chapter presents recommendations, for policy and policy makers and for schools: provide universal access to parenting programmes and support, increase the involvement of the state in the support of parental engagement, fund research, improve initial and continuing teacher training, be systematic, embed engagement, be creative, move from (giving) information to communicating, evaluate interventions, work with others and school readiness and transition. The authors reiterate the understandable government fear of the 'nanny state' accusation and also point to a lack of joined-up thinking and work around parenting support in England as a significant barrier to the provision of and promoting parenting support. In view of what has been seen about issues some parents have with literacy and also with the increasing numbers of parent who have English as an additional language, it is worth considering ways of initiating and sustaining dialogue with parents that do not rely on written text, even though this is the default option for most schools.
