Managing parents’ expectations of their children’s academic performance can be a delicate task for teachers and school leaders, and this can be even more of a delicate task in the independent sector, where families are making substantial sacrifices to afford the fees.
The emotional and financial investment of some families can lead to parents having high expectations and demanding more from their children and the school. As teachers and school leaders, it is an important part of our jobs to not only support pupils and their parents, but also to ensure that the expectations parents have result in constructive outcomes and avoids burnout.
Regular reports and realistic goals
First and foremost, it is vital for teachers to communicate openly and honestly with parents about their expectations of their children’s academic performance. This means setting realistic goals and providing clear, detailed feedback on their child’s progress.
Part of this will involve real rigour in regular report writing: for example, instead of simply telling parents that their child is “doing well,” we should seek to provide specific examples of areas where they are excelling and areas where they may need additional support.
This helps parents to understand the specific steps their child needs to take to achieve success, and makes clear throughout the pupil’s time at the school what they should be seeking to improve.
“Pupils need to have a sense of ownership and agency in their academic ambition.”
At The Royal Hospital School, we report based on two metrics: a Challenge Grade and an Attitude to Learning (AtL) Grade. The Challenge Grade is a realistic yet aspirational goal for pupils to work towards, which is fluid as pupils move through the course and is determined partly by pupil data but also through conversation with the pupil themselves.
This allows pupils to have a sense of ownership and agency in their academic ambition, but also avoids the idea of having a concrete “target grade”, which might create undue pressure on some pupils and parents. The AtL Grade is separate from academic output and focuses on attitude and behaviours in the classroom, such as organisation, participation, curiosity and independence. By recognising habits and attitudes as well as academic progress, we seek to embed good working habits early on in a child’s time with us.
Emphasise the importance of balance
Another aspect of managing parents’ expectations effectively is to educate parents about the importance of balance in their child’s life. This includes encouraging them to prioritise things such as exercise, sleep, and making time for their hobbies and friends in addition to their school work. Studies have shown that students who maintain a balance of physical, emotional, and social wellbeing tend to perform better academically, and are less likely to experience burnout and poor mental health associated with academic pressure.
“Students who maintain a balance of physical, emotional, and social wellbeing tend to perform better.”
At RHS, we run sessions for parents and pupils discussing the importance of balance, as well as traditional study skills. By promoting this message, it is our hope that it helps parents to understand the importance of not pushing their children too hard, and instead, encouraging them to find a healthy balance.
Involve parents in the exam preparation process
A vital part of channelling parental expectation in a positive manner is to involve them in the examination preparation process, rather than leaving it to the pupils alone. At RHS we achieve this through traditional systems such as parents’ consultations and reporting, but we also have started to run workshops for parents which demonstrate the revision strategies and advice that we have given the pupils, as well as looking at mark schemes and examiner reports. These workshops, on top of more routine school events, give parents a chance to ask questions, understand the curriculum and also gain some insight into how different subjects are assessed and marked.
Use your tutors
At RHS, we also recognise the important role that tutors play in communicating with our parent body. Tutors act as the main point of communication for parents regarding the academic achievement of the pupils at the school, and their regular contact helps to ensure that parents are always aware of pupils’ progress, achievements and targets. Ensuring that there are no surprises as pupils get towards the examination season is a crucial part of managing parent expectations, and the job that our tutors do in this respect is phenomenal.
Remind parents of holistic goals
Finally, although by no means of least importance, we should take every opportunity to remind parents that the ultimate goal of education is not solely to get the top grades, but the development of well-rounded, happy, and healthy children. It is incumbent on us to help parents understand that the skills and knowledge students gain from their education will serve them well in the long term, regardless of their examination performance, although that may be challenging at times to accept.
Achieving academic success is important, but it is not the only measure of a child’s ability or potential; providing opportunities for parents to see how the school develops wider, core skills and competences (such as public speaking, creativity, independence and self-reflection) helps to lessen the focus on examination success alone.
“Achieving academic success is important, but it is not the only measure of a child’s ability or potential.”
In conclusion, managing parents’ expectations of their children’s academic performance can be challenging. By communicating openly and honestly, promoting balance, involving parents in the examination process and reminding them of the bigger picture, teachers and school leaders can help create a positive and supportive environment for pupils as they prepare for their examinations, which in turn helps to avoid unnecessary (and often unintentional) parental pressure.