Our six point plan for the new government
What parents tell us and why the Government needs to listen
Our six-point plan is based on what parents across the UK told us is important to them.
It is their manifesto for change. To make sure the policy recommendations in this manifesto represent the voice of parents, we have used data from The National Parent Survey – Britain’s biggest parent poll — and a special General Election parent poll conducted by WeThink in early 2024.
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We’re calling on the new Government to deliver some practical changes that will help our children to succeed.
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A special General Election parent poll conducted by WeThink in early 2024.
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The largest survey of its kind, the National Parent Survey provides educators and policy makers at every level of government with unique insight into the views of parents.
Our six-point plan for the new Government
Our plan sets out practical steps the new Government could take to listen to parents.
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1. Don’t be afraid to say children should enjoy school…
The Government should commit to an immediate review of the school curriculum and the way we assess learning to make school enjoyable. This review should announce a series of new measures to report on enjoyment of school and not just learning for a test. -
2. Commit to listening to parents when decisions are made.
Parents tell us the Government simply doesn’t listen to them. The Department for Education should commit to consulting parents as standard ahead of major policy announcements. The Department for Education should commission a large scale annual assessment of parent opinion conducted by an independent body. -
3. The cost of school must be part of a national approach to poverty.
Too many parents are struggling with the cost of schooling. The Government should commit to including the cost of school in any new strategy for reducing poverty. -
4. Support new Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs) in our poorest areas.
Schools that don’t have a PTA are missing out. We know that schools in our poorest areas are much less likely to have a PTA or parent-led fundraising group. The School Census should be amended to include a question on PTAs to establish how many schools have a PTA group. Schools should be supported to set up a PTA through a new government programme. -
5. Ofsted needs to report back on parental engagement.
Any shake up of how Ofsted reports back to parents needs to include a measure of how well a school engages parents. The Government should require Ofsted to include an assessment of parental engagement in any new approach to reporting back when a school is inspected. -
6. Announce a National Parent Participation Strategy.
A new National Parent Participation Strategy should create a new duty for schools and multi-academy trusts to focus on parent participation with a nationally recognised ‘kitemark’ for engaging with parents.
We need to change the way we do school
Our special General Election poll tells us that almost half (46%) of children are bored of school according to their parents.
Eight in ten (80%) parents would support a politician who said that how much children enjoy school is just as important as a school’s record of exam success.
Preparing for life beyond school
Our economy is changing and parents just don’t feel like our education system is keeping up with the pace. A third (33%) of parents with a child at secondary school are concerned that school isn’t preparing their child for the future jobs market.
The curriculum is still too focused on academic subjects with a majority of parents (55%) telling us they want their child’s school to do more to nurture non-academic pupils to develop practical and technical skills.
Parents are concerned about their child’s mental health
It is not news that we have a serious child and adolescent mental health problem and parents are worried about the mental health of their children.
In our special General Election poll, 71% of parents told us they feel they are overlooked when plans are made to tackle child and adolescent mental health problems.
The cost of school
The cost of school is a major worry to parents. In a cost-of-living crisis, school costs are often a non-negotiable part of a household budget, putting added pressure on families.
In our special General Election poll, 39% of parents said they have gone without eating and/or heating to pay for school costs, such as uniforms and school trips, with one in ten (10%) of parents telling us that this is something they do regularly.
Parents feel left out and overlooked
Parents are the missing piece of the education jigsaw, but they are underused and overlooked. More than 11 million parents across the UK tell us they would like to contribute more to their child’s school, but two million don’t know how to and almost three million have never been asked.
The National Parent Survey found that just 14% of parents told us that the Government listens to parents on what they want for their child’s education.
