Can a good school overcome home influence and environment?

[OcadoHummus]

That's all, really.

What do you think about the impact that a good school and aspirational teachers can have on the outcomes for kids who may not have the best home lives?

Can schools make up for the lack of parental support a child experiences? For instance, parents who never attend parents' evening or read.

Or do they end up a product of their environment in most cases?

Sometimes I feel after being in teaching 20+ years many of those in education lose their optimism when it comes to expectations sadly.

No of course they can’t. They can help but “make up” is a ridiculous idea. Does eating a single apple a week “make up” for a week spent surviving on hardbo?

I think school can make a difference for a minority of particularly motivated and ambitious children, but for the majority, school won’t be able to override the overwhelming influence from home sadly.

No. Kid’s are in school for 13% of a year, granted that includes all time not just wake hours. But so much of learning happens well before school age.

I am an ex teacher and I understood that research shows that the biggest influence is the home. That a school can increase performance by about 10%, but not much more.

Despite this I still went ot a lot of trouble to get my kids into a decent school.

I think the problem is that the only measured outcome is academic achievement, whereas a caring/supportive/inspiration person my have a life influence that doesn't translate into academic grades.

So, yes I do think that schools, or rather individuals can make a huge difference in someone's life, but that may not be in a measurable way, after all, you cannot go bakc a relive the child's life without that influence to compare.

No.

No need for the hostility, I was just really wondering how many of these children manage to overcome the odds when they find support from a school that cares.

I think it helps and should be what all children have access to, but it can't overcome a difficult home life.

No hostility here.

They can't make up for it, but a school with a strong culture of aiming high and working hard can give a child from a shit background a chance at pulling themselves out and achieving high. I've seen it a few times in my career and it is the proudest I've ever felt.

I had thought that parental attitude etc had more impact than most other stuff and this thread confirms it

No but it can help. There are kids from challenging backgrounds who beat the odds and sometimes it's an inspirational teacher that is key

I believe parenting has a much more significant impact of children's development and wellbeing than schooling ever could. It’s basic psychology isn’t it - Maslow?

However, for a child who had a difficult home life school can make a massive difference. A good, kind, helpful teacher can make all the difference to a child who is struggling.

it’s interesting you chose attending parents evening and reading with children as examples. Of course they are important, but not nearly as important as things like love, affection, emotional responsiveness etc.

As a pp says, school cannot necessarily add an enormous amount (although 10% is still significant imo) in terms of grades, but there are many unmeasured things that are extremely important: peers, values, cultural exposure, aspiration, work ethic etc. It would be interesting to know to what extent the values of school imprint on kids vs the values of home.

A good school and great teaching CAN make a difference: I really want to believe it, but in reality the genetic inheritance and the familial pressure to succeed is what changes life and expectations. You only have to look at the front bench of the government and R4 presenters nowadays to know that drive and ambition can take a young person all the way, as long as their parents have ambition for them. The UK establishment is more open to talent of every race and colour than any other country I can think of. France is pretty open to talent of Arab/Magrebi (sp?) origin too.

ime and unfortunately for those kids with difficulties at home it is usually easier the other way around, a good home influence and environment can overcome a poor school.

ALL schools no matter their official rating can make a difference to a child's life.

However, how big the difference is, even for very good schools, probably isn't that big in real terms. Tbh I think the idea of the disadvantaged child with feckless parents who is rescued by a teacher or school and goes on to great things is either incredibly rare or non-existent.

A disadvantaged child who goes to an outstanding school in an affluent area will probaby have to endure not being able to afford things like the other kids and feeling left out but will have a blueprint of aspiration from other children. May well get more support from staff because there are fewer disadvantaged children etc

The same child in a school with many disadvantaged children will find resources diluted even with extra funding.

Successive governments have tried to bridge these gaps but I think the differences spout from the drip, drip, boring drip of being brought up in a different environment rather than the big gesture of extra funding for a few things during the school year.

Recently, I've met a lot of early childhood educators who are genuinely passionate about, proud of, and loving the children in their care.

And I was just reflecting on how many of these children do not have that support at home who would devote this much time and attention to them.

It made me a little sad to think about how these little kids might get “lost” in it all.

The older ones with more experience seem to have this sort of “realistic” view on what’s possible.

Then I thought, well if we all stopped aspiring for more and believing.. nothing would happen?!

Not to be too soppy!

Desperately sadly, if you and your family are renting in a low income area, the pressure to fit in with your cohort in school may trump the pressure your parents want to exert to do your homework. Most middle income parents are relentess homework fiends. Work now, and have choices later.

No

Yes, without a doubt.

I and my siblings grew up with a racist, sexist, drunken and violent father who was on minimum wage.

All six of us went to grammar school. All six of us have professional careers, three have degrees, two of us masters. All home owners, no racism, no violence. School was our way out.

Ask some of the children who go here: www.christs-hospital.org.uk/

I don't think it can overcome substantial negative experiences at home and make the playing field equal, but it can go some way to opening doors that a child wouldn't otherwise have available.

I think it's more likely that a good home life and engaged parents can limit the damage of a poor school than an amazing school can undo a childhood full of negative experiences.

That's accurate. And the unquantifiable things are equally as important, if not more so. It means so much to these young children to have a kind person nearby, someone who has time for you and enjoys your company.

Yes they can.

I've name changed for this, but am a regular poster.

I grew up in a home with domestic violence and abuse. Spent time in a women's aid refuge. My older siblings were taken into care. Then lived in grotty social housing with my mum, who was on benefits. She had no idea about education, having grown up in care herself. It wasn't that she didn't care, but she just wouldn't have known where to start. She never went to parents evenings etc.

I was fairly clever, and saw education as a way out. I worked hard at school, with the support of some amazing teachers. I went to a RG university and completed an undergraduate degree and then an MSc, then went into a professional role. I would not have done this without the support of those teachers. My life now is a world away from my childhood.

And not school or parents alone.
Unfortunately, many support services ( Sure Start, Youth Services, Early Help, Social Care) have ceased or are severely under pressure due to central government cuts.
School, home, services, inspirational adults who work for charities or out of school groups also play a huge part.