Do this one thing to improve pupil attainment this year

It’s that time of year – everyone’s back from their summer holidays, relaxed, refreshed and (hopefully) raring to go into the new school year. It’s a great opportunity both to reflect on last year’s achievements and set goals for the year to come.

Small changes make big differences
One small change that can have a huge effect on both academic achievement, as well as the school community and society as a whole, is to place a premium on engaging parents with their child’s learning. Studies have demonstrated that engaging parents in their child’s education has ramifications far beyond their exam results, with attendance levels raised, improvements in class performance and even better behaviour in society at large.

What is parental engagement?
The Education Endowment Fund defines parental education as the involvement of parents in supporting their child’s academic learning. It’s a broad definition, and contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t refer to attendance at parents evenings or participation with the school fête committee. As Dr Jane Goodall, a leading expert in parental engagement, says, “Parental engagement with children’s learning – parents taking an interest in their children’s learning, talking to them about what they are learning, showing that they as parents value schools and schooling – is what will help raise achievement.”

How can Schoop help?
Schoop isn’t just an admin tool. Yes, getting Schoop in your school will sound the death knell for scrumpled-up notes lost in the bottom of school bags, it will reduce your paper and printing costs and make many admin tasks easier. However, used properly, Schoop can be a tool that unites communities. It’s a bold statement but not unachievable. Parents who are hard-to-reach for whatever reason – be it language barriers or a suspicion towards education carried forward from their own school days – can be brought into the loop in a non-intrusive manner. The prompting by teachers to gently nudge parents to talk to their children about the school day is a hugely effective tool of engagement. A simple push notification sent home to let parents know that, ‘today, we were studying the Incas, why not ask your child about potatoes?’ can spark curiosity in parents and pride and enthusiasm in students as they recount what they’ve learnt of that topic. Push notification nudges such as these start a conversation that would normally start and end at, ‘what did you do today?’ ‘Nothing’! 

Schoop gets everyone in the loop
Schoop isn’t just a parental engagement tool – it’s a people engagement tool. Our vision is to see schools, businesses, leisure and community centres, all in the Schoop loop with individuals opting into their places of interest – their child’s school, after-school activity, their team at work or their local leisure centre – creating a network of engagement that’s as individual as you are and far from the distracting minefield that many social media sites have become, where personalised information relevant only to you reaches you automatically, free of irrelevant and distracting messages. 

Download our app by clicking the button below for a free trial. See how easy it is to get in the loop with Schoop!