The working mum’s guide to a winning parent-teacher relationship – five tips to get the best out of your child this school year

Behind every successful student is a great school teacher. And great teachers make great schools. But teachers can’t do it alone…not even the best and most experienced.

The research is clear: school children perform better in school when their parents are actively involved in their education, and here are five easy ways to do just that without being the interfering parent:

1. Check in with teachers on a regular basis
   Don’t wait until Parents Evening to get the shock of your life that your child is so far behind with their academics that the school is thinking abut putting them back a year, or that an extra hour of help from you or a tutor a week could have brought them into the top set in their year.

   Be proactive and don’t wait for a problem or challenge to arise before taking action. Yes, being a working mum who doesn’t always do the school run can be a challenge, but the key is to communicate with your child’s teacher as often as you can rather than not at all.

2. Get to know the other support staff who are working with your child, too
   Education support professionals like teaching assistants generally know all of the students in the school, and their relationship with your children will continue as they move from one class to the next. They’ll also have some insight I to your child’s learning ability, what they struggle with and their behaviour, so don’t discount them.
3. Attend school events
   School activities are a good opportunity for parents to connect with teachers and school employees and get to build a good rapport with them. This can make it easier to get feedback and help for your child when you need it.
4. Volunteer at the school
   Make time in your schedule to help out with school plays, act as a classroom helper or chaperone school trips where you can. You’ll get a good insight into your child’s relationships with their classmates, and see how the teachers relate to the children.

   So, you might might be able attend school-time events and all the class assemblies, but what about other out-of-school activities like car boot sales, PTA meetings…?

5. Keep the lines of communication open
   Whether they are your children’s classmates, friends or neighbours, get to know other parents. Don’t let the fact that you’re not at the school gates as much as the other mums make you feel like you can’t form relationships with other parents – you won’t be the only working mum in the class!