The importance of father inclusion in schools

Fathers have an impact upon the child’s cognitive, emotional, social and physical development (Allen & Daly, 2002).

Kim and Hill (2015) found in a meta-analysis of studies found that despite mothers having higher mean levels of involvement in their child’s education,fathers also equally showed a strong positive association for their involvement and their child’s academic achievements.

Fathers who are nurturing in their roles tend to have children with higher cognitive and receptive languagescores(Dubowitz et al., 2002) and fewer behavioural needs (Cooley & Unger, 1991).

 Jeynes (2015) found that across 66 studies, father involvement often yielded the largest effect sizes regarding positive outcomes for children of minority ethnic backgrounds. 

Inclusive practice for fathers in schools:

Child Protection
Ensure you are mindful of fathers’ rights when engaging in safeguarding issues. For example, consider what are the legal rights of fathers who may not live in the same home as their child? Do they retain parental responsibility? What are the legal parental arrangements?

Father Inclusive Schools
Foster an environment that acknowledges different types of family structures e.g., single fathers, same sex parents, fathers who are the main care-giver.

Contact 
Ensure fathers are included in all correspondence e.g., emails, letters and meetings, reports and exam results. Include fathers contact details in referral forms to outside agencies. 

Representation & Inclusion
Some research (Fetcheriet al. 2011)suggested that fathers are more likely to become involved in school activities if the facilitator is male. Are there ways in which we can be mindful of the gender ratio of staff and how we can include fathers to support school activities? What are the fathers’ skill set and how can you work collaboratively?

Accessibility
Allow for flexibility in meetings e.g., making use of online or hybrid models and adjusting timing to ensure fathers and working parents can attend. Use an interpreter for families where a father may have English as an Additional Language (EAL). Be mindful that fathers from other cultures may have different experiences of school engagement and may not be familiar with school systems. Continue to identify other barriers to involvement fathers may experience.