Winners most parent friendly school award visiting the Ministry of Education.
On Thursday 13 February, there was a celebration in The Hague. Parents, students and school leaders of primary school De Schakel and secondary school the Eligant Lyceum visited the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW).
The schools won the award for the most parent-friendly school in the Netherlands in November 2024. As a cherry on top, they were invited by State Secretary Mariëlle Paul for a tour and a good conversation.
Why this visit?
De Schakel from Utrecht and the Eligant Lyceum from Zutphen came out as winners of the award because of their approach and special view on parent friendliness. Their pleasant cooperation, talks and good ideas create a nice collaboration and big parent involvement at school. And that deserves recognition!
If a school wants parents to be involved, it must start by being parent friendly.
From parent friendliness to parent involvement
The parents, students and school leaders were warmly welcomed in the Haagse Hoftoren. After a short tour of the building, an open and inspiring conversation started with State Secretary Mariëlle Paul. The students were the first to tell what parent friendliness means to them. Their message? If parents are well informed about what happens at school, talks at home about school go much smoother.
Parents of De Schakel emphasized that a parent must feel safe at school. ‘If a school wants parents to be involved, it must start by being parent friendly,’ says one of the parents. Parents of the Eligant Lyceum said that they learn through special three-way talks how to let go of their child while staying involved. The workshops the school offers to parents are also very appreciated.
It feels very good that the school takes me seriously as a parent.
Parent involvement as a strength
State Secretary Paul was curious if parent involvement causes extra work pressure for school teams. The school leaders of both schools said this is not the case. ‘By involving parents from the start, hard talks become less hard,’ they said.
The visit ended with a nice message from the State Secretary: “You are the best ambassadors of parent involvement. When schools, parents and students work together, so much is possible!”
Want to know more about the relationship between parents and school?
A good cooperation between parents and school is essential for good education. Do you want to know more about communication with the school, cooperation or have other questions about this? Then read more about the relationship between parents and school.
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