Barnoldswick West Craven High School's parent partnerships praised

The LPPA is a nationally recognised award supporting schools who deliver effective parental engagement. The assessment is made by an external advisor. A team of staff at West Craven High School in Barnoldswick successfully put together evidence.

West Craven High has joined Pendle Education Trust’s other secondary school, Colne Primet Academy in achieving the award. The Trust’s three primary schools are currently working towards the accreditation.

Awards Verifier Maureen Nash said: “There is strong leadership of parental involvement at West Craven, led by the executive principal and leadership team who have a clear vision to provide high quality education, recognising the value of parent partnership.

“The school is at the heart of the community and is starting to become involved in events, striving to support parents to raise the aspirations and achievements of their children.

“The school is also beginning to open up for events such as Winter Warmer and a Macmillan coffee morning. A thoughtfully developed family learning offer is now available and a PTFA is starting to develop and plan events.

“A Parent Forum is being developed for discussion and to listen to parents’ feedback, providing an opportunity to be involved in decision making.”

During the school’s assessment, the award verifier enjoyed a tour of the school and heard from a range of stakeholders including parents, students, staff and governors who provided their perceptions and valuable insights through detailed discussions about parental involvement.

Deputy principal and award coordinator, Mrs Nicola Robertson said: “We are delighted that all of the hard work our staff put into communicating with parents and carers has been recognised.

“The assessment looked at all aspects of our partnership with parents, from those who currently have children at local primary schools through to parents of our Year 11 students who are planning their next steps after life at West Craven.

“Thank you to everyone who contributed to the assessment, especially the parents who responded to questionnaires and requests for comments. We received fantastic feedback from parents, governors and staff as part of the assessment process and we’re now looking to build on this with the development of our PTFA, Parent Forum and community partnerships.”