Parent-Friendly Schools<\/a> (PFS), which visited last month, said parents valued the time with leaders as it made them feel \u201ccared-for\u201d.<\/p>\nSarai said Bantock was in \u201cthe most deprived area of Wolverhampton\u201d, with more than 60 per cent of its 440 pupils eligible for free school meals. Many pupils speak English as an additional language.<\/p>\n
Breaking through barriers<\/h2>\n For Bantock, building relationships with parents has meant being \u201csavvy\u201d on finding ways to communicate.<\/p>\n
Many families have recently arrived in England, but parent ambassadors who are employed part-time help to translate for them.<\/p>\n
The school also uses technology to provide live translations at parents\u2019 evenings and inductions, offers ESOL classes for parents and includes different languages on signage.<\/p>\n
\u201cParent chatter sessions\u201d, supported by the ambassadors, cover everything from what a SATs paper looks like to online safety.<\/p>\n
Jez Thomas, Bantock\u2019s current head, said understanding the school\u2019s different ethnic communities and having \u201cgood advocates\u201d in each of them has been key to building successful relationships with parents.<\/p>\n
For example, one of its governors is a member of the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) community, helping the school better understand and support that group. Attendance had improved as a result.<\/p>\n
Consistency above everything<\/h2>\n Bantock also has a highly mobile population, with \u201chalf of the school\u201d changing each year.<\/p>\n
In response, it runs three parents\u2019 evenings a year, while every new family receives an induction presentation and tour from leaders.<\/p>\n
At parents\u2019 evenings, experts such as nurses and financial experts are also brought in so parents can access help.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of our families will not talk to these services on their own because they don\u2019t feel safe,\u201d said Sarai. \u201cBut if we say it\u2019s OK \u2026 they will take that on board.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018Consistently showing up\u2019<\/h2>\n Smith said much of the school\u2019s success with parents \u201ccomes from consistently showing up\u201d, and that listening to parents and involving them in decisions has been central to building trust.<\/p>\n
Parents were consulted, for example, when Bantock mooted finishing at 1.30pm on Fridays so staff could focus on PPA. Childcare was provided where needed.<\/p>\n
Sarai said the school observed and addressed parents\u2019 individual needs, much as it did with pupils.<\/p>\n
Some needed a few minutes of daily contact with leaders, others more, others less.<\/p>\n
Crucially, by meeting these needs, pupils benefited as they \u201ccan see a relationship between us and their parents\u201d.<\/p>\n
Impact on resources?<\/h2>\n The approach may sound resource intensive, but Sarai described it as \u201cpreventative\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause we\u2019ve spent that time to earn [parents\u2019] respect, when an issue does crop up, we\u2019re at a better starting point.\u201d<\/p>\n
Practical approaches also helped to free up time and resources for parental engagement.<\/p>\n
A small leadership team meant more funding could be directed into the wider school, while technology helped to streamline processes.<\/p>\n
Sarai also stressed the importance of consistency and incremental changes.<\/p>\nExternal agencies provide advice at parents’ evenings<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u201cSometimes \u2026 schools throw everything out and start again. That\u2019s going to cost more money.\u201d Instead, she said: \u201cKeep what works and tweak it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smith said Bantock could \u201cvery much have their time taken up with complaining parents\u201d but by investing in parent relationships, \u201cthe reward is that their parents are their advocates\u201d.<\/p>\n
Parental engagement ‘not an initiative\u2019<\/h2>\n PFS was launched by Parentkind a year ago as a way of acknowledging schools that meet its blueprint for parent participation. The charity also offers advice, training, and resources.<\/p>\n
Almost 500 schools have gained accreditation, around 450 at \u201cstandard\u201d level and 22 silver. Bantock is the only one to have achieved gold, an accreditation reserved for \u201cexceptional\u201d practice.<\/p>\n
Bantock submitted lengthy video evidence that showed it fulfilled 97 per cent of PFS\u2019s blueprint. Smith also interviewed parents and staff.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of schools start from the premise that the parents are an extra burden\u2026rather than recognising that parents are gatekeepers for attendance, of the child’s attitude to learning,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
But if schools \u201cwin the parents, they win the hearts and minds of the child, and you win their bums on seats\u201d.<\/p>\n
At Bantock, parental engagement \u201cis not an initiative \u2013 it\u2019s embedded and integral to everything that they do\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Start with leaders at the school gate every afternoon, suggests an award-winning Wolverhampton primary<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":314902,"featured_media":245132,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"post-theme":[2884],"class_list":["post-245317","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","post-theme-solutions"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Bantock-Award-feat-670x384.png\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Parents-Evening-Agencies-landscape-inset1920-670x384.jpg\")