Parents, carers and families are by far the most important influences in a child's life. Their support can play a vital role at all stages of their child’s education.  Attention should also be given to the parent’s own learning journey.  This will support parents to be able to meaningfully engage in their child’s learning and life at school, whilst enhancing their own educational skills and employment opportunities.

This page provides information on the policy for Scottish education in relation to parents and families.

Parental involvement or engagement and learning at home

The Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement) Act 2006 underpins all parental involvement and engagement policies, strategies and frameworks.  The Act provides a framework for ensuring that parents and families have the opportunity to express their view and have these taken into account on matters affecting the education of their children. It aims to help parents be:

• involved with their children’s education and learning
• welcomed as active participants in the life of the setting or school
• encouraged to express their views on school education generally and work in partnership with the setting or school

It places duties on schools, local authorities and Scottish Ministers to help all parents to be involved in their child's learning, to be welcomed as active participants in settings or schools, and to be able to express their views on school education generally.

The involvement and engagement of parents and families can help raise attainment for all and help to ensure equality and equity for every child. 

Family learning

Family learning encourages family members to learn together, with a focus on intergenerational learning. Family learning activities can also be specifically designed to enable parents to learn how to support their children’s learning.

'Family learning is a powerful method of engagement and learning which can foster positive attitudes towards life-long learning, promote socio-economic resilience and challenge educational disadvantage.'
(Family Learning Network, 2016).

Education Scotland supports improvement in parental involvement, parental engagement, family learning and learning at home through the promotion, development, and provision of a range of learning approaches and opportunities for education practitioners working with children and families. We do this in collaboration with external stakeholders, including the national parental organisations and local authorities.