How can I be involved?

Your child will do better in their education if there are strong connections between home and school or kura. As a parent, you can provide that connection by being actively involved in your child's school or kura.

Ways to get involved

New Zealand schools and kura are set up to give the community a say in deciding how they work.

Here are some ways you can get involved in your child’s school. You should also talk to other parents, the teachers and principal about other ways to take part.

Let your child know you’re interested and involved

Being interested in your child's education and involved in their school or kura shows them that their education is important to you, and it becomes more important to them as well.

  • Ask what your child is learning at school or kura and what they’re finding easy or hard. Knowing what they’re learning will give you clues about extending their learning beyond school or kura.
  • Ask about homework set by the teacher, what you can do to help and support them in doing it.

Know what’s going on

  • Get to know the teachers and principal, and talk to them regularly about how your child is doing both at home and school or kura.
  • Go to parent-teacher meetings to get feedback.
  • Read the school newsletters and go to school events, such as information evenings and assemblies.
  • Know who’s on the school board, find out about attending meetings, get your concerns on the agenda, and keep up-to-date with what the board are doing.

Have your say

Get involved in your school’s planning and reporting process. Share with your school what’s working and what is important for your child, this will help determine what the school’s goals should be. For more information about getting involved in your school’s planning process, check out our brochure:

Te Whakangārahu Ngātahi | Planning Together Community brochure (English) [PDF, 804 KB]

Te Whakangārahu Ngātahi | Planning Together Community Pack (Māori) [PDF, 90 KB](external link)

Te Whakangārahu Ngātahi | Planning Together Community Pack (Hindi) [PDF, 115 KB](external link)

Te Whakangārahu Ngātahi | Planning Together Community Pack (Samoan) [PDF, 89 KB](external link)

Te Whakangārahu Ngātahi | Planning Together Community Pack (Simplified Chinese) [PDF, 156 KB](external link)

Te Whakangārahu Ngātahi | Planning Together Community Pack (Tongan) [PDF, 92 KB](external link)

Te Whakangārahu Ngātahi | Planning Together Community Pack (Braille) [BRF, 3 KB](external link)

Te Whakangārahu Ngātahi | Planning Together Community Pack (Audio) [MP3, 1.3 MB](external link)

Te Whakangārahu Ngātahi | Planning Together Community Pack (Large Print) [DOCX, 111 KB](external link)

Te Whakangārahu Ngātahi | Planning Together Community Pack (Easy Read) [DOCX 5 MB]

NZSL Te Whakangārahu Ngātahi | Planning Together Community Pack:

  • Have your say in any topics up for parent consultation.
  • Complete any school or kura surveys so that your views are considered.
  • Get to know who is on your school board. They have regular meetings and must listen to what parents want.
  • Make sure you vote in the three-yearly elections of the board.
  • Be the voice for your child.  Ask for the support and services you think your child needs at any time.

Volunteer

You can volunteer to help in the classroom, at events, with sports, or on school trips and camps.

Share a talent or some knowledge you have. It can be anything: sports, culture, cooking, crafts, language. Talk to your child's teacher about taking a session.

Join or set up a parent-teacher association (PTA) group

Most schools and kura have a parent group or parent teacher association (PTA) you can join.

These are groups of parents just like yourself who want to support the running of school in practical ways. They co-ordinate parent helpers, organise school events, fundraise and help create a strong school community.

If there isn't a parent, or home and school group at your school or kura, you could talk with other parents and set one up yourself.  

Think about standing for election on your school's board

All state and state-integrated schools and kura are governed by a board.

Standing for election to the board is a great way to be involved in your child's education, share your skills with the school or kura and have your say in it's running.

You could consider attending a board meeting to see how they work, and if you are interested you could stand for election at the next board members election.

Talk with your school about other ideas

Your child's education is a real partnership between your school or kura and yourself. You might be able to think of other ways you and other parents could be involved. Your school or kura might also have some ideas. Talk together about how else you might be able to be involved.

More information

Partnering with parents, whānau and communities guide – TKI(external link)

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