One of the most significant choices parents will make is to whom they will delegate the care and teaching of their school age children.
School teachers take the place of parents (in loco parentis) for 6-7 hours a day, roughly half the children´s weekday waking hours. Where children are not home educated, the parenting of children from the aged 4-16, is very much a shared process. It is important for parents to consider the role and authority of teachers as a delegated one. Under God and with some accountability to the government, parents have the ultimate responsibility.
Parents and teachers work together as an integral part of the church. Local churches work closely with parents and schools to provide coherent children's and youth work for the discipling of the next generation.
Partnership is a popular term generally. For us the partnership between the parents and the school within an active Church community is part of God's order, enabling parents to take their rightful place.
It is not simply a means of school including parents in school life or informing them about their child's progress.
Even when pupils leave, we trust that families will continue to function in partnership with the school as friends and church members who wish to support other families.
Key Role
Alongside physical and emotional nurture, one of the major roles of parents delineated in the Bible is teaching. This goes beyond giving spiritual direction and communicating a moral code to imparting an understanding of the world and its story. Schooling is one practical means for them to carry out that responsibility.
For parents, partnership goes beyond relating to teachers about their own child’s progress or co-operating with school policies such as dress code or homework. There are many other ways parents can play a part in the school community. You can participate in school events, join the catering team, be trained as a work experience "visitor", pray with us at our weekly prayer meetings, accompany school trips or even come into the classroom and share some of your unique expertise and experience. The material, practical and spiritual support of parents is invaluable in building up our school ethos, resources and distinctive curriculum features.
