Parents as partners? Parental engagement in Catholic schools in England and Wales

Abstract

Parental engagement is widely recognised as a key contributor to children’s academic success, and is also often associated with faith-based schooling. However, little is known about how clergy, alongside parents and staff within Catholic schools, conceptualise and support this engagement. To address this gap, we conducted a mixed-methods exploratory study in two phases: an online survey (n = 115) followed by semi-structured interviews (n = 40). Participants were all based in England and Wales and comprised three groups: parents of children attending Catholic schools, Catholic school staff and clergy with involvement in Catholic education. Our findings show a notable divergence between Church teachings on parents’ central role in children’s learning, and the practices and expectations evident in schools. Across all groups – but especially among clergy and school staff–parental engagement was predominantly framed as parental involvement in schooling, characterised by attendance at school events and support for homework. This school-centred, top–down orientation contrasts with broader educational understandings of parental engagement as active support for learning in the home environment. The study, therefore, identifies a disjuncture between espoused beliefs about parents as primary educators and the enacted practices within Catholic schools. We argue that shifting towards a home-focused model of parental engagement would better align with Catholic principles and strengthen partnerships between families, clergy and schools. We recommend targeted professional development for school staff and clergy to deepen the understanding of parental engagement in learning and to support more collaborative, learning-centred approaches.