3 April, 2025

From Struggle to Strength: Pathways’ Parent Engagement Journey

Building strong relationships with parents and the community to foster trust, engagement and pride in the school.

In this spotlight:

Introduction
About Pathways School and Eko Trust
Pathways’ parental engagement transformation

Introduction

When Tom Neave became the Executive Principal of Pathways School, the school was facing significant challenges. At the time, the school was under-subscribed, operating in a building that was deemed unsafe and unsuitable for educational purposes, and the behaviour issues among the pupils were frequently severe.

These factors, combined with a complex relationship with parents, contributed to a highly challenging learning environment.

Tom and his team recognised the need to build strong relationships with parents and the community to foster trust and engagement.

They implemented various initiatives to create a culture of collaboration and pride in the school, ultimately transforming Pathways into a thriving community: the school received Edurio’s Parental Engagement Award, receiving among the most positive feedback in the country, about the school’s efforts to engage parents in the academic year 2023/24.

This is the story of Pathways School.

About Pathways School and Eko Trust

Pathways School is located in Barking and Dagenham, an area facing significant socio-economic challenges, including high unemployment and an average life expectancy of just 59 years (compared to the national average of around 80).

The school caters to a vulnerable pupil population, all of whom have social, emotional, and mental health (SEMH) needs, as well as complex challenges such as autism.

Pathways School is part of Eko Trust, a group of ten Good and Outstanding schools located across East London, East Anglia and Brighton. Another school within the Trust, Kaizen Primary School, also received Edurio’s Parental Engagement Award.

Chief Executive, Rebekah Iiyambo, writes:

“Eko Trust’s values are Vitality, Optimism, Integrity, Courage and Equity and those values apply to everyone: pupils, families, and staff.

Our strategy outlines our commitment to all:

• Our approach is based on equity for all our people, whether that is our children, our young people, our families or our staff – they all form part of our vibrant school communities.

• We are passionate about ensuring we provide the best opportunities and experiences for every individual.

• We are totally committed to removing the barriers that get in the way of our community, so that access for all truly means access for all.

This commitment absolutely underlines the way all our schools work with their families and parents. We know that excellent, mature communication and relationships with parents create psychologically safe environments where their children can grow and flourish.

We’re delighted that another Eko school is in the top 10 primary schools nationally for parental engagement too! Kaizen Primary school also works tirelessly with their families to enable pupils to fulfil their potential!”

Rebekah Iiyambo

Eko Trust

Pathways’ parental engagement transformation

Upon taking up his post in September 2023, Tom was aware that the school would transition to a new, purpose-built facility by November. This move was fraught with anxiety for both pupils and their families, as it involved changes in transport and the overall school environment.

Additionally, there was an Ofsted inspection just a few months after the move.

To help mitigate these challenges, the team adopted a multifaceted approach to enhance parental engagement, based on the belief that if they could bring parents on the journey with them (both metaphorically, and physically as they relocated) the transition would be smoother for all.

Here are some of the approaches the school took:

Building Relationships: The school shifted from traditional parents’ evenings to more engaging formats like Parent Progress Afternoons, focusing on celebrating pupil achievements rather than merely addressing behaviour issues. This change helped parents feel proud of their children and fostered a sense of community.

Open Mornings and Assemblies: Parent Open Mornings and assemblies were introduced, allowing pupils to showcase their learning. This initiative encouraged parental involvement and helped break down barriers between families and the school.

Workshops and Family Activities: The team organised workshops where parents and children could learn together, as well as family reading sessions aimed at improving literacy and engaging parents in their children’s education.

Regular Communication: Daily contact with parents was prioritised, ensuring that communication was personalised and included both positive and challenging news. This approach built trust and transparency.

Support for Vulnerable Families: For families that were harder to reach, the school invested in a team to conduct home visits, ensuring that support was accessible and tailored to individual circumstances.

Celebration Events: The school hosted various events, such as Christmas dinners and summer barbecues, to strengthen community ties and to provide support to families in need.

Therapeutic Support: Recognising the emotional needs of both pupils and parents, the school offered counselling and therapeutic activities, reinforcing the message that they genuinely care about the wellbeing of families.

As a result of these initiatives, parental engagement significantly increased, across both the proportion of positive responses and the response rate of their annual parental engagement survey increasing drastically to an estimated 90% of parents.

Beyond the survey, improvements are evident in the day-to-day interactions that staff have with the parents of the pupils they teach. Not only this, but pupils are doing better now than ever.

For example, the average reading age of pupils has improved from 7 to 13 in the secondary phase of the school, enabling better access to educational materials and fostering a culture of pride in reading among pupils.

Under Tom’s leadership, Pathways has transformed into a thriving educational environment, demonstrating the power of community and collaboration in overcoming challenges.