Justin Robbins and Karen Dempster, co-authors of The Four Pillars of Parental Engagement

The schools white paper, Every Child Achieving and Thriving, published in February 2026, sets out a clear direction of travel for education in England. It speaks repeatedly of minimum expectations for home-school partnerships, alongside clearer expectations for communication, inclusion and parent voice, to improve attendance and achieve higher standards.

For school leaders committed to evidence-informed improvement, the message is familiar. Parental engagement is not peripheral. It is central to standards, inclusion and long-term pupil success.

What the white paper provides is ambition. What it does not provide is the detailed implementation structure.

Over the past decade, our work with schools has centred on a simple framework for doing exactly that: the Four Pillars of Parental Engagement. The model is built around four interconnected foundations:

• Knowledge – clarity of expectations and shared understanding
• Environment – practical and welcoming conditions for engagement
• Culture – consistency, respect and shared values
• Communication – clear, inclusive and two-way dialogue

Together, these pillars move parental engagement from aspiration to consistent practice.

1. Knowledge: clarity reduces friction

 The white paper makes clear that, for the first time, the government will define expectations around parental engagement, outlining what parents should expect from schools and what schools should expect from parents.

When parents understand how progress is measured, how attendance is monitored, when communication will arrive and who to contact with concerns, anxiety reduces. When schools are explicit about how parents can support learning at home and what to expect from school, the partnership becomes shared rather than assumed.

This is particularly important for pupils who are progressing well but are capable of more. High expectations at school must be reinforced at home. When families understand assessment language, curriculum intent and what stretch looks like, they are better placed to support challenge rather than simply completion.

For leaders, this means asking:

• Have we clearly articulated what active partnership looks like?
• Do parents genuinely understand our grading and progress systems?
• Are expectations consistent across year groups and departments?

2. Environment: removing practical barriers

The white paper introduces minimum expectations for home-to-school partnerships, including timely communication around attendance, behaviour, progress and transitions.

However, partnership is shaped as much by environment as by information. A priority clearly reinforced in the white paper is inclusion and equitable support for all families.

This means considering whether all parents feel welcome in school, can access online information and are genuinely supported to create effective home learning routines.

Schools that deliberately consider both the school environment and the home learning environment remove unnecessary barriers. They provide practical guidance, accessible resources and predictable rhythms of communication that reduce overload.

This matters for inclusion. Families of disadvantaged pupils or those with SEND often face additional pressures. A clear, structured and respectful environment makes engagement possible rather than burdensome.

Leaders might reflect:

• Are we designing systems around parents’ realities, or around convenience?
• Are we offering practical strategies for supporting learning at home, especially for more able pupils who need to be stretched beyond minimum expectations?

3. Culture: consistency builds trust

 The white paper highlights the need to reduce variation between schools and establish a consistent baseline offer for families. We welcome this as variation often exists within the same school, which erodes trust.

Parents may experience Year 7 very differently from Year 8. One department may communicate clearly and regularly; another may not.

The Culture pillar focuses on embedding shared behaviours and expectations across the whole school. Parental engagement should not depend on individual personality or goodwill. It should be part of leadership, induction and professional development.

When staff approach conversations with clarity and confidence, difficult discussions de-escalate more quickly. When leaders model openness and consistency, trust strengthens.

Belonging, set out as a foundation for engagement in the white paper, means high expectations for all pupils. The most effective schools demonstrate that academic stretch and belonging go hand in hand.

4. Communication: listening prevents escalation

The white paper commits to strengthening parent voice and improving complaints systems.

Schools that build structured listening approaches, such as pulse surveys, parent forums or focused feedback opportunities, reduce the likelihood of concerns escalating. Even without an official policy, when parents feel heard early, relationships stabilise.

The Communication pillar is not about sending more messages. It is about clarity, consistency and two-way dialogue.

Leaders might consider:

• Is our communication predictable and jargon-free?
• Do parents know when they will receive updates?
• Do we have safe mechanisms for feedback before issues formalise?

In schools where communication is intentional rather than reactive, complaints reduce and engagement deepens.

Moving from intention to structure

Few school leaders would dispute the importance of parental engagement. The challenge has always been operational: how to embed it consistently across a busy school while maintaining high expectations for all learners.

The Four Pillars provide an operational framework to deliver the ambitions set out in Every Child Achieving and Thriving. And not just through ad hoc activities but through planned, sustained and focused actions that support long-term parent partnerships.

And ultimately, pupils thrive when the adults around them work together with shared purpose and mutual trust.

About the authors

Justin Robbins co-founded Fit2Communicate in 2015 and is an experienced communication expert, a Fellow of the Institute of Internal Communications and a certified DISC personality profile practitioner. Prior to 2015, Justin spent 15 years working in corporate communications around the globe – and he is passionate about making a difference for future generations, primarily through helping schools to communicate.

A highly experienced communication expert, Karen Dempster is co-founder of Fit2Communicate, a Fellow of the Institute of Internal Communications and a certified DISC personality profile practitioner. She is passionate about raising the standard of communication in all schools in order to support better student outcomes.

The Four Pillars of Parental Engagement is available to purchase now. A discount is available for NACE members on this and all purchases from Crown House Publishing; log in to our member offers page for details. 

Additional free resources:

• Four Pillars of Parental Engagement Quick Start Toolkit 
• Four Pillars self-evaluation to identify strengths and next steps
• More Four Pillars resources 

For support in implementing the Four Pillars model, register for a parental engagement masterclass or sign up for our online guided parental engagement learning programme. For anything else, you can contact the authors via hello@fit2communicate.com.