Parents as partners? Parental engagement in Catholic schools in England and Wales

Parental engagement is widely recognised as a key contributor to children’s academic success, and is also often associated with faith-based schooling. However, little is known about how clergy, alongside parents and staff within Catholic schools, conceptualise and support this engagement. To address this gap, we conducted a mixed methods exploratory study in two phases: an online survey (n=115) followed by semi structured interviews (n=40). Participants were all based in England and Wales and comprised three groups: parents of children attending Catholic schools, Catholic school staff, and clergy with involvement in Catholic education. Our findings show a notable divergence between Church teachings on parents’ central role in children’s learning, and the practices and expectations evident in schools. Across all groups—but especially among clergy and school staff—parental engagement was predominantly framed as parental involvement in schooling, characterised by attendance at school events and support for homework. This school centred, top down orientation contrasts with broader educational understandings of parental engagement as active support for learning in the home environment. The study therefore identifies a disjuncture between espoused beliefs about parents as primary educators and the enacted practices within Catholic schools. We argue that shifting towards a home focused model of parental engagement would better align with Catholic principles and strengthen partnerships between families, clergy, and schools. We recommend targeted professional development for school staff and clergy to deepen understanding of parental engagement in learning and to support more collaborative, learning centred approaches.