School Behaviour and Families

Frameworks for Working Together

Sue Roffey

• Publisher: David Fulton Publishers
• Year: 2013
• eBook ISBN: 9781134134779
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

This book focuses on the relationship that schools have with parents and carers, especially in the early stages of behavioral difficulty. It aims to promote the best possible partnership with parents in what is often a sensitive and emotionally fraught situation.

It contains an overview of the context and a general theoretical framework for home school interactions on behavior; research findings on factors which facilitate or inhibit effective partnerships, helping teachers understand why some parents/carers are reluctant to become involved or may appear aggressive and suggests ways in which schools might usefully respond; and chapters written by contributors with specific expertise in working with parents who have harmed their children, the carers of children in foster families and residential homes, mobile families (including travelers and asylum seekers), and families from diverse communities.

The book is intended primarily for teachers and school managers at every phase of education, but will also be of interest to educational psychologists, home-school liaison officers, support staff, counselors, mentors, LEA officers and anyone working in parent partnership schemes.

Chapter 1
Introduction

Although parental involvement has swept through the educational landscape… the area of problem behaviour in schools has been almost totally neglected and the question of how to work positively and productively with parents in such circumstances remains largely unanswered.

(Miller 1994)

Imagine this: It is the second week of the new school year. Year 4 teacher Norma McFarlane stops Liam’s mum, Penny, as she walks out of the classroom door at the end of the day. ‘Would you be able to have a word with me tomorrow after school?’ Penny’s shoulders droop, she glances around to make sure other parents have left and then nods grimly towards her son: ‘Is he getting up to his old tricks again?’ She becomes defensive: ‘I really don’t think there’s any point me coming here again; I told the last teacher, he’s no problem at home.’ Mrs McFarlane smiles and says: ‘He’s getting on really well; I want to make sure it continues. I need your help in telling me a bit more about him and what works for you.’ The next day Penny turns up to hear the good news in more detail. It makes a change from hearing about all the terrible things her son has done. She listens to Mrs McFarlane’s plans to reward Liam for certain behaviours in the classroom. The teacher then asks if Penny has any ideas herself. By the end of 20 minutes they have agreed on a plan. Both teacher and parent decide to talk again every week to see how it’s going. Penny walks out of the school feeling that this teacher actually likes her son despite his difficulties and that, as his mother, she can hold her head high again. Someone wanted to know, and took account of, what she had to say and what she had to offer.

Now imagine this: Dee comes into the staff room, pours some tea and plumps herself down next to Alice. She sighs: ‘I’m going to have to get Mrs Fitzgerald up here again.’ Alice raises an eyebrow: ‘Kylie still giving you trouble then?’ Dee throws up her hands in exasperation. ‘She won’t settle to work, she’s always getting in the way of the others, she kicked Michael this morning and her language …’ There’s no need to go on. Alice shrugs. ‘But with her background what can you expect … all the Fitzgerald children have been difficult one way or another. Mum has no idea how to control them and I don’t think there’s been a man on the scene since the boyfriend walked out last year.’ Dee continues: ‘The last time I had Mrs Fitzgerald up here she was 30 minutes late, had a little one in tow who disrupted the interview and then she never did the things she promised – like making sure Kylie did her homework and getting her to school on time. I don’t know why I bother.’ Alice nods in sympathy and the bell rings for end of playtime.

Although the individuals in these anecdotes are fictional, the stories are based on a number of observed events. Elements in them reflect different realities in schools and it would be surprising if readers did not recognise similar conversations. Both stories illustrate some of the issues that are addressed in this book:

• concern about behaviour in school
• attributions for behaviour
• expectations about parental involvement and ‘partnership’
• the processes by which parents may become involved
• the context for parents
• the influence of school culture.

A central theme of School Behaviour and Families is that working in collaboration with parents and carers may provide the best chance of success for addressing behavioural difficulties in school. In Britain the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice is unequivocal about the importance of parental involvement:

There are strong reasons for working in partnership with parents. If they feel confident that schools and professionals actively involve them, take account of their wishes, feelings and unique perspectives on their children’s development, then the work of those schools and professionals can be more effective. This is particularly so if a child has special needs.

(DfEE 2000: 8)

But what does ‘working in collaboration’ mean and what are parents’ perspectives on this? Parents and teachers do not necessarily see things the same way and there is evidence that teachers’ views often take precedence within home-school discussions (e.g. MacLure and Walker 1999). It is therefore not surprising that relationships break down and stereotypes are strengthened.

Definition of who is a parent

Changes in society have meant that ‘given’ definitions may no longer be sufficient to operate in practice. With broken and restructured families who counts as a child’s ‘parent’ is no longer a straightforward concept. Schools are required to have a wide range of dealings with a pupil’s parents and it is helpful for teachers to know who this might include. Many children are cared for on a daily basis by people who are either carers or extended family members rather than parents. It is important to ensure that the significant people in a child’s life, those he or she spends time with and those who have a parental responsibility, are not excluded from decisions. It is worth clarifying at the outset who needs to be invited to meetings, who will be given information and whether there are issues of legal responsibility which the school needs to know about. Sensitivity may be needed here, in particular with some families who have reasons to be anxious about what they may see as interrogation into their private lives. Reasons for ascertaining family information should be made clear. In this text we use the word ‘parent’ as an inclusive term, encompassing all those who have a parental responsibility towards the child.

Parents’ views

If schools and parents are going to have anything approaching a ‘partnership’ then the agenda needs to be based on mutual understanding. The main purpose of the research on which the first half of this book is based was to find out from parents and carers themselves what the issues are for them, to explore what may be important in their relationships with schools and which approaches more likely to be met with success. Here we give a voice to that group of parents who have children with special educational needs (SEN) related to emotional, social and behavioural issues. The study that has elicited this information is detailed at the beginning of Chapter 4.

Teachers’ views

Although there are comments from others the predominant views expressed and quoted here are, without apology, those of parents and carers. These include both positive and negative statements about schools, teachers and systems. These are based on parents’ own varied experiences, interpreted through their own constructs. Although there are many instances of good practice, and overall a view that home-school relationships are improving, teachers may reasonably feel that this is a one-sided version of what happens in schools and want to defend their position. We hope that readers will view sympathetically the struggle that many parents have to be heard, even though the ways they may do this do not always make it easy to respond positively. In professional development sessions some teachers have argued for sympathy and support when working with parents who do not seem to appreciate or even undermine their efforts on behalf of children. We acknowledge that there are times when teachers meet situations that are exceptionally difficult. Even more frequently, teachers, keen to work constructively with parents, are frustrated that ‘it’s the ones you need to see most who never come near the school’.

This book is not intended to belittle teachers’ professionalism but to explore ways of meeting needs more effectively. The message is that even where parents seem to be intransigently negative there are experiences from their own backgrounds that often explain this. Teachers have choices in the way they approach and respond to parents. Emotionally intelligent interactions that entail ‘plugging in’ to their concerns and contexts in a real way are worth the effort. As the research illustrates, the better the relationship between home and school, the better the potential outcomes for everyone – the child, the parent and the beleaguered professional in the classroom.

Outline of content

The following two chapters put the rest of the book into context. They explore the current state of knowledge about the relevant issues. Chapter 2 includes perspectives on behaviour including definition and attribution. Chapter 3 is specifically concerned with parents’ roles in school and the issues involved in realising the principle of partnership. Chapter 4 outlines the research study, which explores parents’ own views about what they find supportive in school and which factors impede collaboration. Parents’ own words are used extensively to illustrate the findings. Chapter 5 looks at the range of outcomes that are linked to different approaches and Chapter 6 outlines a model that schools may use in thinking about how to work most effectively with parents.

It is acknowledged that there may be significant challenges in establishing and maintaining good relationships with some parents and ‘working in partnership’ is not an easy concept for schools to deliver. The second half of this book addresses the context for specific groups of families. It is hoped that this will give insight into approaches and responses that foster understanding and stimulate creativity in working together.

Chapter 7 is about working with parents who have harmed their children. The emotions for teachers here are some of the most challenging. It is understandable to feel anger and attribute blame when the damage to children is evident. It is also easy to make assumptions and to misjudge not only the facts but also the possibilities. Anna Harskamp has many years’ experience of working with families where there are concerns of abuse and the message of her chapter is that one of the best ways of supporting a child’s well-being is to find ways of supporting the family. To do this requires both insight and sensitivity.

Chapter 8 is concerned with children who are in ‘public care’. These children can be some of the most vulnerable and the most challenging for schools. There are some overlaps here with Chapter 7 and also with Chapter 9 as many of these children are in transient placements. Jean Law looks at the variety of arrangements for the care of children and the implications these have for teachers in working with natural parents, foster carers and residential staff. She also clarifies the importance for children of schooling – the stability it can provide and the opportunities it offers for children whose life expectations may otherwise be less than optimistic.

Chapter 9 raises issues about working with mobile families, whether these families are mobile because of life circumstances, such as asylum seekers or families escaping domestic violence, or a life choice such as Travellers. Anthea Wormington has many years’ experience of working in areas in London where mobile families are often a significant proportion of school populations. This throws up many issues that have to be taken into consideration when meeting the needs of pupils and communicating with parents.

Chapter 10 also has some issues in common with Chapter 9 but focuses on the different cultural expectations of families who come from diverse communities. Ann Phoenix looks at what is known from research and provides insight into the different ways children and their families might be construed in education and how school issues may be perceived by different communities.

Chapter 11 introduces solution focused approaches. This structured way of thinking underpins teacher-parent consultations to focus on strengths and possibilities rather than problems. It is a way of putting into operation at an individual level the frameworks described earlier. Elizabeth Gillies writes about her own experiences with this approach to illustrate how it can make a difference to the way parents think about themselves and their abilities to effect positive change for their children.

Finally Chapter 12 reiterates the major messages of the book. It reminds readers that how people think and talk about issues determines what happens in schools. Working with parents presents the best chance of success in both managing and meeting the needs of pupils with behavioural difficulty. This requires a specific approach that is challenging but ultimately optimistic.

References

Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) (2000) SEN Code of Practice on the Identification and Assessment of Pupils with Special Educational Needs. Consultation Document. London: The Stationery Office.

MacLure, M. and Walker, B. (1999) Secondary School Parents’ Evenings. Report for the Economic and Social Research Council, England and Wales. Norwich: University of East Anglia.

Miller, A. (1994) ‘Parents and difficult behaviour: always the problem or part of the solution?’, in Gray, P. et al. (eds) Challenging Behaviour in Schools, 92-107. London: Routledge.

Chapter 2
Behaviour in School

The research on effective schools mirrors our own experiences… the ethos, organisation and working policies in a school make a significant difference to how children’s behaviour is perceived and what is put in place to develop appropriate classroom behaviours.

(Roffey and O’Reirdan 2001)

Introduction

Teachers often have a struggle with pupils who are difficult to manage in the classroom. They have a demanding curriculum to deliver and expectations are on them to ensure that pupils reach attainment targets. Individuals who are disruptive or demand a great deal of attention interfere with that aim. They are not only a problem to themselves but also for the class. Teachers would seem to have less and less time to deal with individuals, at least until that child’s needs and demands are so intrusive that something has to be done. At this point teachers are often emotionally involved themselves, with feelings that range from frustration and anger to helplessness and depression. Pupils who are challenging are not only irritating and time consuming but also may invalidate a teacher’s professional self-concept by threatening their competence. In the worst scenarios, reactions may become explosive and parents may find themselves at the receiving end of pent-up exasperation. It isn’t surprising that ‘home-school interviews’ can be fraught, and the communication within them less than ideal for a problem-solving framework. This is particularly so when the underlying agenda for a teacher at this stage may be how to have the child removed from their class, if not from the school.

Even where there is a clearly defined and agreed behaviour policy in ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Foreword
• About the Authors
• 1 Introduction
• 2 Behaviour in School
• 3 School and Family Partnership
• 4 The Voice of Parents
• 5 Outcomes
• 6 Plugging into Partnership: A Framework for Collaboration
• 7 Working with Parents Who Harm Their Children
• 8 Working with Carers of Children in Public Care
• 9 Working with Mobile Families
• 10 Working with Diverse Communities
• 11 Solution Focused Approaches to Promote Effective Home—School Partnerships
• 12 The Best Chance of Success
• Index