Working As One: Successful School Relationships

22 SEPTEMBER 2026

Strong relationships between parents, carers, and schools can profoundly affect a child's educational experience. This article explores practical ways families can build effective partnerships with schools, support their child's education, and look after their own wellbeing along the way.

Author: Sarah Morrin, Senior Family Liaison Officer, Witherslack Group

Why trust matters

The first step towards building positive interactions with your child's school is trust. For many parents and carers, schools are responsible for the most important person in their lives. It is entirely normal for starting a new school, changing settings, or transitioning between phases of education to feel significant and sometimes overwhelming.

Trust does not appear overnight. It develops through:

Being open to building relationships
Getting to know the school and its staff
Communicating regularly
Working together towards shared goals for your child

Factors that influence trust

Every family's journey is different, and several factors may affect how easily trust develops.

Previous school experiences
Managed moves
Negative relationships with school staff
Concerns about leadership
Unsuccessful support arrangement

While these experiences may shape expectations, approaching a new school with an open mind can help create fresh opportunities for success.

Your child's individual needs

For parents of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), trust can feel particularly important. Many families have faced challenges involving:

Diagnosis processes
Accessing healthcare support
Educational assessments
Finding the right provision
Managing life at home

These experiences may contribute to anxiety about whether a new school will understand and meet a child's needs.

Parents are often more comfortable building trust when they feel confident that:

Their child's needs are understood
Staff recognise individual strengths and challenges
Appropriate support is in place
High-quality teaching and adjustments are available

Get to know the school

The more information you have about a school, the more confident you are likely to feel. Before your child starts, consider:

Attending open days
Exploring the school's website
Reading policies and support information
Arranging visits where possible
Learning about the school's approach to inclusion and wellbeing

The transition period provides an excellent opportunity to ask questions and gather information that will help both you and your child feel prepared.

Be involved where you can

Every family's circumstances are different, and not all parents can attend every event or meeting. However, involvement wherever possible can strengthen the home-school partnership. This might include:

Parents' evenings
Progress meetings
Annual reviews
School performances
Workshops
Fairs and community events

If attending in person is difficult, many schools can offer alternative arrangements, such as phone calls or online meetings.

Treat school and home as one team

A strong partnership is built on shared goals. When parents and teachers work together, they can:

Support learning and development
Promote emotional wellbeing
Address difficulties early
Celebrate progress
Encourage positive attitudes towards education

Children also benefit from seeing the important adults in their lives working cooperatively and consistently.

Returning to school after a difficult experience

Children who have been out of education or experienced trauma in previous schools may need careful transition planning.

Successful approaches often include:

Gradual reintroduction to school
Visits outside normal school hours
Meeting key staff before starting
Creating personalised transition plans
Assigning a trusted adult for regular check-ins

Small, manageable steps can help rebuild confidence over time.

Managing homework challenges

For some children, particularly those who mask their difficulties throughout the school day, homework can feel overwhelming. Parents and schools may wish to explore:

Breaking tasks into smaller sections
Adapting homework formats
Linking tasks to a child's interests
Providing opportunities to complete work during school hours
Temporarily reducing demands where appropriate

The goal should be to support learning without creating additional stress for the child or family.

Building positive interactions with your child's school starts with trust, communication and collaboration. While every family's journey is unique, the best outcomes often happen when parents and schools work together as a team.

By staying involved, building meaningful partnerships, communicating openly, and taking care of your own wellbeing, you can help create the conditions for your child to thrive academically and emotionally. The stronger the relationship between home and school staff, the better the school can support 40 children over the coming years, including those with ADHD, speech and language difficulties, Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs, and related behavioural difficulties.

In this video, Sarah shares top tips for working effectively and collaboratively with your child's school, building positive relationships, and ensuring your child’s needs are fully understood and met to enhance their outcomes in learning.

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