Developing positive school-home relationships through structured conversations with parents of learners with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Parents play a crucial role in their children’s education,and their active involvement can lead tobetter outcomes. However, evidence suggests thatparental engagement and confidence amongperhaps the most vulnerable group of learners –those with special educational needs and disabilities(SEND) – may be lower than for those without difficulties.We report on research exploring a model fordeveloping positive home–school relationships,known as ‘structured conversations with parents’,which was implemented as part of a comprehensiveintervention to improve outcomes for learners withSEND (the Achievement for All pilot). Our researchdesign utilised both quantitative and qualitativeelements, including school-level surveys, parentquestionnaires, interviews with key personnel andstakeholders, and case studies of pupils/parents inparticipating schools across 10 local authorities inEngland. Our analyses suggest that the structuredconversations with parents were successful inachieving their intended outcomes, albeit withimportant caveats in relation to issues of individualdifferences, implementation fidelity/adherence andsustainability.