Parental Engagement: In This Together (2014-2017)

‘In This Together’ was a Knowledge Transfer Partnership between the University of Lancashire and Inspira, which aimed to understand the barriers parents and carers perceived in supporting their children with their secondary school education. The research conducted focus groups and interviews with 77 parents and carers living in low-income coastal communities. Many participating parents and carers revealed that they felt they lacked the educational skills and knowledge to support their children with their secondary school work. The research findings led to the design and delivery of a solution-focused brief mentoring programme, where 25 parents each participated in six one-to-one sessions to explore strategies to overcome their perceived challenges in supporting their children’s secondary education.

Outputs and Impact:

  • Wilson, S. (2021). Can Person-Centred, Strength Based Programmes Impact on Parents’ Engagement in Education?, International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41042-021-00054-y
  • Wilson, S. (2021). Parental Engagement Under Lockdown: Reflections on Disadvantaged Families’ Perceived Barriers in Home-Schooling. Networking: Catholic Education Today, 22 (1). pp. 37-38.
  • Wilson, S. and McGuire, K. (2021). ‘They’d already made their minds up’: understanding the impact of stigma on parental engagement. British Journal of Sociology of Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/01425692.2021.1908115
  • Wilson, S. and Worsley, A. R. C. (2021). Unequal childhoods: A case study application of Lareau’s ‘accomplishment of natural growth’ in British working-class and poor families. British Educational Research Journal, 47 (3). pp. 770-786. https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.3707
  • Wilson, S. (2020). 'Hard to reach’ parents but not hard to research: a critical reflection of gatekeeper positionality using a community-based methodology. International Journal of Research & Method in Education, 43 (5). pp. 461-477. https://doi.org/10.1080/1743727X.2019.1626819
  • Wilson, S. (2017). Bourdieu's 'habitus': The secret formula behind parental engagement in education? European Research Network About Parents in Education Conference (5th July 2017) Roehampton, UK
  • Day, S., McGuire, K. & Wylie, R., (2016). In This Together: Families and Education. Poster Presentation. Best of UCLan Event (18th November 2016), Preston, UK
  • Day, S. (2015). From Pulling Apart to Pulling Together: Exploring assumptions around ‘hard to reach’ parents’ engagement in education following the primary to secondary school transition. European Research Network About Parents in Education Conference (27th August 2015) Tromsø, Norway.
  • Winner of the O’Donough Award for Research Excellence in Education in 2016

Public value was generated through informing Careers Advice and Guidance Practice, with a specific focus on the lived experience of families who may feel excluded from the education, training, and employment sector.  Wider public value was achieved through the project's contribution to the national debate on parental engagement in education at a Houses of Commons Education Select Community on ‘left behind white pupils from disadvantaged’ (Davies et al., 2020)

Partners, collaborators and active networks