Tech foundation to lead school re-engagement project

The Rigby Foundation, the charitable trust of Rigby Group, has launched a new project to help re-engage parents in their child’s education and rebuild communication and trust between home and school.

It has joined with the Centre for Social Justice, a leading national think tank, to maximise children's potential across the country. The project will involve schools, families and local authorities from across England.

The project will have a particular focus on the West Midlands which suffers worse than the national average for persistent school absence rates.

Meanwhile, the CSJ has revealed a crisis in parental engagement.

In 2022, only a quarter of students in the UK were in schools where parents took the initiative to monitor their child’s progress. This is down 12 percentage points from 2018.

CSJ research has previously uncovered a wealth of evidence showing just how important parental engagement is for pupil's attendance and academic progress at school, among other benefits.

This break in the school-parent contract is reflected in polling carried out for the CSJ, which shows 28 per cent of parents say that, due to the pandemic, it is not essential for children to attend school every day.

The final report and recommendations are expected later this summer.

This comes as the Secretary of State for Education has said parents should do more to make sure their children are in the classroom.

Speaking at the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), Bridget Phillipson (pictured) said there has been “a casual attitude increasingly emerging” from parents when it comes to sending their children to school.

She said: “it is also crucial that parents recognise that they have responsibilities too, to send their children to school."

“It’s not just about your responsibility to your own child, but about the responsibility you have to the whole school community and wider society. The decisions you take as an individual parent not to send your children to school, impacts the education of all children in the class.”

Andy Cook, CSJ chief executive, said: “Something has gone wrong with the contract between schools and families. Teachers and government cannot do it alone. Supportive and engaged parents are essential to helping schools maximise their children’s potential.

“The Secretary of State for Education laid out her plans to support parents, but she is right that they too must accept responsibility to get their kids to school.

“We are delighted to be working with The Rigby Foundation on this urgent project.”

Steve Rigby, chairman of The Rigby Foundation, said: “Achieving growth in the UK will take more than an investment in infrastructure projects.

“It’s also about human capital, growing talent, resilience and opportunity.  That begins with families at home and then in school, which is why we need urgently need to get parents back involved.

“For example, in the West Midlands where my family business was built, rates of persistent absence are above the national average.

“Encouraging and supporting more parents to get their children to school is positive for young people but is also vital for the good of both our local and national economy.”