The schools minister, Jim Knight, shifted the onus for improving children‘s educational and life chances on to parents today.
Speaking at the Special Schools and Academies Trust conference, Knight said: “If we’re really serious about narrowing attainment gaps, we’ve got to put more of our focus on parents.”
He urged schools to do more to engage parents, saying they were “our best ally”, a “hugely untapped resource” and “one of the most important influences on a child’s educational attainment”.
The shift in emphasis will come as a relief for schools and teachers, who have been bombarded with government initiatives that put the responsibility for improving children’s prospects on them.
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