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Letter To Parents Inviting: The school first compiled an explanatory leaflet on 'How to become a school author' which, as simply as possible, suggested to parents that the school wanted them to write a short account of dieir childhood daily life. The leaflet also described how the school would assist them. A group of ethnic-minority parents then received a letter inviting them to a meeting to discuss the project, and at this meeting the leaflet was shown and discussed.
We took great pains over what appeared to be small and simple tasks. The initial letter to parents inviting them to the meeting was planned and written by several members of staff, who had pointed out that my letters home (that I thought were very friendly, clear and informative) often turned out to be lengthy, confused, directive and patronizing - ah well, it was a learning time for us all!
The first question is best answered by the concept of 'net spreading': if your first 'net' (the initial meeting) fails to 'catch' all the parents, there should be a series of others waiting to be employed. Further letters and a variety of follow-up meetings, contacting parents at die school gate, sending personal messages through the children, inviting parents to the school for individual talks widi the class teacher or head, asking the school's education welfare officer to call on the parents for a chat about the school's new scheme - all these make for a progressively finer 'mesh'. |
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