Britain | New tricks

The schools that teach parents as well as children

Tempting mum and dad into the classroom may improve pupils’ results

LESSONS start early at John Perryn, a state primary school in west London. From the day children arrive, parents are brought in for classes on how to teach phonics and even how to play (counting sandcastles helps the tiddlers grasp numbers, for example). As children get older, the workshops become more formal. All sessions are voluntary. But parents who attend win points for their child’s house—and the top house wins a cinema trip at the end of term.

This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “New tricks”

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