ABSTRACT
The concept of ‘education’, ‘schools’ and ‘family’ has expanded over time, and events such as the global pandemic, as well as the trend towards decentralisation and democratisation of the decision-making power in schools have altered the way that families and schools interact. However, not all schools have evolved in the same way in their approach to partnership with the family. The partnership between schools and families is not a program or policy, but a willingness by schools to share power with parents; to move to a new paradigm of communication that means a shift away from constantly talking at them towards an inclusive approach where trust is evident in the way that all stakeholders’ input is valued and their voices are heard. By doing so, a new template for family–school partnerships, entitled Pathways to Partnership, has been created and is presented as a framework for educators so that they can move the family–school partnership from theory into the everyday life of the school through sharing power, trust and genuine dialogue (Webster, 2020).
