First for Leading Parent Partnership Award

The first school on the Isle of Man to be awarded the prestigious Leading Parent Partnership Award will be presented with their certificate on Wednesday 27th of January, 2010.

Education Minister Anne Craine MHK, will present the award certificate and plaque to Ballakermeen High School, Headteacher Adrienne Burnett, in recognition of the school’s commitment to working with parents to promote learning in school and in the wider community.

 To earn the Award the school had to show that it is a welcoming and friendly for parents and visitors and that it keeps parents fully informed about their children’s work in school, their attendance and academic progress.  The School also demonstrated that it aims to expand the range of learning and enrichment opportunities for both students and parents.  At Ballakermeen, parents will have the chance to develop their ICT skills in parents' classes offered by the teaching staff in the spring term.

Parents and the home environment are the most important factor in shaping their children’s well-being, achievement and prospects says parental involvement specialist, Professor Charles Desforges:

“At the age of seven parental influences on learning is six times that of the school.  At the age of eleven or twelve parental influence on learning is 30 per cent greater than that of the school. After the age of twelve, children – as they grow and mature – become their own greatest influence”.

Developed by Prospects, one of the UK's leading providers of services for the education and skills sector, the Leading Parent Partnership Award (LPPA) programme is recognised by Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) as the quality standard that aims to strengthen and enhance the relationship between parents, children and schools.  The Award has been adopted by over 400 schools nationwide including over 70 in Manchester.  Prospects is also working in partnership with Birmingham City Council, which is introducing the LPPA with a pilot scheme in a cluster of ten schools in the Handsworth area of the city.  

The Leading Parent Partnership Award (LPPA) provides a challenging framework to enable schools to strengthen their partnership with parents and carers. It is a developmental process which, through the involvement of parents, aims to enhance children's life chances at all stages from nursery to secondary. LPPA supports the delivery of the Every Child Matters and Extended Schools agendas. The Award is a key tool for school self-evaluation, complements the standards required by Ofsted, Chartermark, Investor in People and other national awards.