Today we had our year 10 Parent Teacher Conference which was a great opportunity for discussions to be had between parents, pupils and teachers about how they have been doing socially, emotionally and academically in their first year of IGCSE.
Discussions were primarily on how our year 10 ́s have settled into the new academic year and in particular a new curriculum. Assessment at BCB is on a scale of 1 to 7, with 7 being exceptional performance and 4 being age/phase average performance. But more than just attainment, research suggests family engagement in school has other benefits too.
Pupils really do thrive when they feel there is a coherence between home and school from everything from values to expectations and rewards to consequences for behaviour. If school and home are on the same page then pupil attendance is dramatically improved as pupils see school as an extension of home and so feel safe and secure.
Another and perhaps the most crucial impact of parent involvement in events such as PTCs is that parents themselves have more understanding and confidence in their child's education. On Monday we also had a very well attended secondary assessment workshop where parents went away feeling reassured and with more clarity on how we assess at BCB.
The overall results of pupils with involved parents or caregivers at school is that they achieve higher grades and assessment scores, have better social skills, and have markedly better behaviour.
We always look forward to welcoming our parents to events such as year 10 PTC to further strengthen the home school partnership at BCB.
