| Abstract: | Because of established links with attainment, the UK government has, over the last ten years, developed policies to improve school attendance. Legislation now makes school attendance a parental responsibility. In the small-scale study reported in this article, Anne Sheppard, manager of an Education Welfare Service Team in North Yorkshire, collected data on 57 pupils' attitudes to school and schoolwork and their perceptions of their parents' involvement in their education. In order to examine the role of these variables in relation to school attendance, 'good' and 'poor' attenders of 12 to 13 years of age, matched for ability, were compared on a number of quantifiable measures regarding their perceptions of schoolwork and their parents' behaviour in relation to aspects of their schooling. Both good and poor attenders avoided class work if possible, but good attenders were more likely to do their homework and perceived their parents as more involved in their education. Anne Sheppard argues that Education Social Welfare Services need to take account of findings from parental involvement research in their practice if they are to increase both children's school attendance and attainment. |
