How do we raise the volume of the parent’s voice in school?

People often ask what motivated me to create The School Report. The reply is always the same – the desire to bring about change- a change in the way parents engage in the educational arena.

Often from negative experiences, positive shoots begin to flourish, as is the case for The School Report. After many positive school experiences, my first negative experience inspired me to talk to other parents about their experiences of school life. From these conversations, it became apparent that there was a perceived lack of promotion of parental engagement within education. Providers of education and receivers of the service are equally important and for the service to work most effectively we must all be working towards the common good, striving for a developing education system that maximises our strengths and addresses our weaknesses. Education in its widest sense provides a platform for providers and receivers to excel together. The School Report portal looks to do just that by bridging the gap left between Ofsted reporting and heartfelt conversations held at the school gates. The platform supports and encourages parents from across the country to discuss the day- to- day realities of school life on a holistic level with each other. From sharing new ideas and best practice to overcoming the daily challenges we all face as parents and schools alike (as well as the inspiring ways in which we overcome them), the School Report is fast becoming a source of information for all to access. We aim to create a culture of openness and cooperation, from the classroom to homework, to behaviour policies and school lunches to extracurricular activities, after-school clubs and beyond.

By encouraging open and honest dialogue we are building a solution-focused community that can work together to promote schools and voice opinions without apprehension. The portal also encourages engagement from schools to work together to deliver an exceptional service that caters to the needs of all children. By working together with schools, we can play a part in delivering a system of quality education that meets the expectations of both parents and schools alike.

The School Report has many functions; providing a platform for campaigns; supporting parents and carers in challenging times; promoting best practice, new ideas and the many positive experiences that can be shared and acted upon by others; sharing positive insightful conversations and varied viewpoints on education held with professionals from academia, industry and more. The platform also functions as a tool to help parents with their choice of school by reviewing real-life experiences and opinions.

With over 30,000 schools on the site from state to privately funded, the potential audience is vast, which is why we endeavour to share as many viewpoints as possible from parents, teachers, governors, Directors of Education and Further Education to Captains of Industry- the options are endless. Together with the ability to propose topics to be discussed, The School Report has the capacity to become not only a source of information on all things educational, but an alternative to a school’s interactive noticeboard, Facebook page, what’s app group and opinion survey- all in one place in an easy accessible format.

We believe that there are many schools, teachers, and parents with motivating stories of outstanding achievement and we want to emulate those experiences across the country to raise standards and achieve excellence for all. As parents and educators, we have the ability to transform opinions and raise expectations for our future generations. By striving for continuous development in all of our classrooms, and enriching attitudes to education, we can help our children flourish and reach their full potential regardless of which school they attend. If you want to have your parental voice heard, then please go to www.theschoolreport.co.uk and join the conversation today.

Article by Donna Moss-Seymour, founder of The School Report