Attitudes to secondary school: parents’ views over a five‐year period

The views of a sample of parents with children in secondary schools in inner London were examined over a five‐year period. When the parents were interviewed at the end of their child's first year at secondary school, their views on their children's schools were generally favourable and they were pleased with their child's progress. At the end of the second and third years, parents still expressed considerable interest in their child's schooling, and their views on the aims of schooling and the content of the curriculum were very similar to those held in the first year. However, certain changes in their views were found over the next two years, including a decline in the extent of parent‐school contact reported, and a decrease in the proportion of parents who were satisfied with the school in general and with their own child's progress in particular. By the end of the fourth year, most of the parents’ views concerning the aims of their child's schooling and the curriculum were similar to those in the previous three years. However, the amount of parent‐teacher contact had fallen considerably and the number of parents who reported that their child was experiencing problems with school work or because of poor teaching had increased significantly. Most parents of fourth‐year pupils also held positive views about the process used by their child's school for choosing option subjects and about the actual subjects selected. By the end of the fifth year, the parents’ views had remained constant in some areas, whilst in others there had been a significant change in their opinions.