Elementary school
Foreword
General section
Field of study
Relationship between homes and schools
School staff, students and parents form the school community in each school. It is important that these groups work well together to shape this community and the ways of interacting that should characterize communication inside and outside the school. In order for it to go well, you need to regularly discuss priorities and agree on main criteria.
According to the Children’s Act, parents are those who have custody of a child. Parents are responsible for the upbringing of their children. They have the obligation to ensure that their children attend school and that they are as receptive to the education offered by the school as possible. The school assists parents in their role in raising children and offers educational opportunities. The education and welfare of students is a joint project between homes and schools, and the collaboration must be based on mutual respect, trust, and the sharing of information between both parties, joint decisions, and joint responsibility. The greatest emphasis should be placed on collaboration between homes and schools regarding each individual, their learning, and their well-being, and that home and school are the venue for education. Emphasis should also be placed on collaboration in individual classes, study groups, and year groups, both regarding learning, social and recreational activities, student welfare, class spirit, and the main criteria in the school’s educational work. School administrators and supervising teachers have the primary responsibility for maintaining active collaboration with the assistance of other teachers. They should strive to create opportunities to increase parental involvement in school activities and promote active collaboration on an equal basis.
Parents shall have the opportunity to participate in their child’s education, as well as in school activities in general. It is the duty of parents to provide the primary school with information about their child that may be relevant to the school’s work and welfare. Parents are responsible for ensuring that their children complete the homework that the school and the parents of each individual child have agreed upon, and that extracurricular activities and other work outside of school do not interfere with their children’s education.
Finally, it is important that there is a solid partnership between homes and schools regarding school work as a whole, e.g. regarding the main criteria for behavior and interaction, school atmosphere, and the emphasis in the school policy of each school or municipality. Parents are expected to participate in shaping the school community and work with school administrators, teachers, and other school employees to implement the goals of school work and join forces to ensure the best possible upbringing conditions for children and their general well-being.
Strong parental involvement and a strong consensus on fundamental principles is the best prevention against any kind of danger, e.g. drug use and undesirable behavior. If parents of students in a class or school manage to agree on the main principles in educational matters, the likelihood of success in school work increases, i.e. academic achievement, general well-being of students and prevention.
Information sharing
Mutual and active disclosure promotes trust between parents and school staff and helps them share responsibility and make decisions related to the welfare of students. With increased parental awareness of the daily work of the school and structured cooperation on school work, the likelihood of active parental participation in decisions and responsibilities increases. Increased parental involvement contributes to improved children’s academic performance and improved well-being. It is imperative that schools regularly provide clear information about school work and plans for the school’s activities. This can be done in various ways, e.g. in parent interviews, at joint information meetings with parent groups, in the school curriculum, through electronic communication programs and on the school’s website. Parents should inform the school as best they can about their child’s situation and general development and report on factors that may affect their well-being and performance at school.
Parents' associations
A parents’ association shall operate at a primary school. The school principal is responsible for its establishment and ensures that the association receives assistance as needed. The role of the parents’ association is to support school work, promote the welfare of students and strengthen the relationship between homes and schools. The parents’ association of each school establishes its own rules of procedure, including the election of the association’s board and the election of representatives to the school council.
Decision-making in school matters has moved closer to parents, which highlights the need for a formal platform for their collaboration. Well-run and active parent associations at each school provide parents with a variety of opportunities to promote and maintain a good school atmosphere and to get to know other parents, students and school staff. Parents have a platform there to discuss their children’s schooling and everything else related to upbringing and education.
To achieve the best possible results, it is necessary for those involved to consider the goals of the association and how to organize the work so that those goals can be achieved. Through the active activities of parent associations, it is possible to align various interests and welfare issues with the well-being of children as a guiding principle. Parent associations should emphasize the most active parental work in individual supervision groups or classrooms. Parent associations should have the best possible cooperation with school councils and student associations.
School council
According to the law, the school council is a forum for consultation between the principal and the school community on school management. The school council participates in setting the school’s strategy and shaping its characteristics. The school council discusses the school’s curriculum, annual work plan, operational plan and other plans for school work. The school council shall receive for its opinion plans for planned major changes in school management and school operations before a final decision is made. The school council generally monitors the safety, facilities and general welfare of students. The principal is responsible for ensuring that the school council is active and that it establishes its own rules of procedure.