Real Time Reporting

Providing parents with reports of their children's progress in ‘real time' has for some time now been as part of the wider agenda for engaging parents and carers to raise attainment. ICT is seen as central to improving the communications channels between school and parents and enhancing parental engagement in children's learning through keeping them up-to-date with the areas in which they currently need the most support at home.

In response to parental requests for more frequent and current information about their children's progress, we are conducting a Next Practice field trial to explore the potential of real-time reporting to parents. It will identify schools at the leading edge of enabling parents to access data online on their children's attendance and performance and map the processes that schools need to put in place to achieve this. (There is a target that by 2010 all secondary schools should make this service available to parents). It will also explore using text messaging as a communications channel with parents, beyond the widely implemented application of absence notification.

Key Benefits:

• More frequent and potentially less formal communications with parents and carers about children's progress and attainment at school.

• Increased parental support and engagement with school through increasing parental knowledge.

• Development of "journey maps" to inform the implementation of real-tine reporting in other schools.