ABSTRACT
This chapter suggests that parents have a key stake in their children’s education, and engaging parents in their children’s learning leads to improved outcomes for children, particularly those from areas of social disadvantage. Partnership with parents now forms part of the statutory curriculum guidance in the Early Years Foundation Stage for children aged from birth to five years, who attend early years settings in England. The chapter discusses some underpinning theoretical approaches that inform policy and practice in partnerships with parents. The state sector was originally divided into two parts: care and education. State-maintained nursery schools offer high-quality early years education and are shown to be effective in raising attainment for children from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The concept of a triangle is a common representation within conceptualisations of parent partnerships. An application for ethical approval was submitted to a University research ethics panel.
