Abstract
How welcome parents and carers feel at their children's school seems likely to have a significant influence on the degree to which they and their children engage with its educational programme. The ethos of the school and the nature of the classroom environment as determined by teachers are therefore significant and continuing features of its pedagogy and its taught and "hidden" curriculum. This paper draws on evidence gained from an evaluation of the work of 10 junior (middle) and primary (elementary) schools involved in the Parents And Children Together (PACT) project in County Durham, in the northeast of England, since 1998. At its centre is an analysis of test scores in reading and the gains made by children as a result of their participation in the PACT programme. Informal interviews and participant observation notes have also been drawn upon from interviews with school headteachers (principals), basic skills tutors, class teachers, parents and children. Documentary analysis is also reported from teacher lesson plans, evaluation sheets and questionnaires completed by parents and children.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 14 - 21 |
| Journal | International Journal on School Disaffection |
| Volume | 4 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Publication status | Published - 2007 |