Guidance for Governors
Parent Contracts
Date Issued: Summer Term 2009 Agenda
The attached report informs of the guidance from the Department of Schools Children and Families (DSCF) (Feb 2004) regarding the implementation of Parent(ing) Contracts for Behaviour and Attendance issues within a school. This is followed by a brief overview of how we are proposing to approach this within Dudley.
In line with DSCF guidelines Parent Contracts are the responsibility of the governing body albeit a responsibility that can be designated to the Head Teacher or senior member of teaching staff.
Contact:Name: Helen Line
Title: Inclusion Officer
Tel: 01384 817809
E-mail:
Parent(ing) Contracts
Parenting contracts are important additions to the interventions available to promote better school attendance and behaviour. These measures are intended to help ensure that parents take seriously their responsibilities to ensure that their children regularly attend school and behave well when they get there.
As the Inclusion Officer with responsibility for reducing exclusions the Parent Contract work that I am promoting is in relation to behaviour issues.
Prior to the Education and Inspections Act 2006 Parenting Contracts could only be offered where a pupil had received at least one fixed term exclusion. Now, however, contracts can be issued earlier, for misbehaviour prior to exclusion.
A Parenting Contract is a two sided agreement between a parent and either the local authority or the governing body of a school, within which the parent agrees to comply with specified requirements (tailored to their situation) and LA/Governing body agrees to provide specified support (tailored to parents’ needs) to enable parents to comply. It is not to be seen as or used as a punitive measure against parents nor will it be appropriate in all cases. A parenting contract will be an appropriate course of action where the parent wishes to address their child’s poor behaviour in school but needs support in order to do so effectively.
Contracts are a voluntary arrangement and cannot be enforced. There is no sanction for refusal to enter into a contract or for breach of the contract’s requirements but if the LA subsequently applies for a parenting order refusal or breaches must be taken into account by the court.
Parenting Contracts require the party entering into the contract to fund any cost of the “supportive” element of the contract. In the context of the school this will be the governing body. Therefore it is the governing body’s name that must appear on the contract and the governing body that will have ultimate responsibility for the parenting contract.
The governing body may delegate responsibility for parenting contracts to the head teacher and the head teacher may commit funds on behalf of the governing body where the governing body has chosen to delegate this power. However, the overall policy decision of whether Parenting Contracts should form part of the school’s behaviour policy must remain with the governing body.
In Dudley After recent research carried out by the Pupil Access Team indicated that parenting skills are considered to be a huge issue across our schools Helen Line (Inclusion Officer) is taking responsibility for introducing and supporting the implementation of the use of Parent Contracts across the borough.
As part of this move training will be offered to schools in Solution Focused approaches to making change, in order to enable parental support work to be undertaken at low cost.
Headteachers are being informed of the DCSF guidelines and Dudley recommendations but, ultimately, the governing bodies will be responsible for the decision to implement the Parent Contract approach within their school.
PARENT CONTRACT
Student Details
Name:DOB:
School Details
Name:
Head Teacher:
Name of Contact:
Position:
Parent Details
Name:
Address:
Tel No:
Background to Parent Contract
School Information:
Parent/Carer Information:
Identified Changes needing to be made:
AGREEMENTS
School agrees to support the parent and student in achieving these changes by being committed to the following actions:
Parent/Careragrees to support the school and the student by being committed to the following actions:
The Pupilagrees to work towards bringing about the changes with the support of school and parent/carer by committing to the following actions:
This Parent Contract is a voluntary agreement between the Governing Body of (Name of) School and the parent and student named above.
Signatures
Headteacher (or delegated member of staff) on behalf of the governing body:
Name:Signed:
LA Officer:
Name:Signed:
Parent/Carer:
Name:Signed:
Pupil:
Name:Signed:
Date of Parent Contract:
Date of Review Meeting:
Review of Parenting Contract
Pupil Name:DOB:Address:Year:
Date:
Views of parent/s:
Views of pupil:
Views of school:
Progress made:
Remaining difficulties:
Amendments to contract
Date of next review: Time:
Venue:
Signed: