Listening to Homes: Developing the Parent and Carer Voice Index
Exploring how parent and carer experiences shape relationships between homes and schools through Kaleidoscopic Data research.
Words: Dr Nicole Ponsford, Founding CEO of the GEC
Over the past several years, the GEC (Global Equality Collective) has been developing Kaleidoscopic Data, a research approach designed to capture lived experiences within education systems alongside more traditional institutional metrics.
Much of this work has focused on the voices of students and staff, helping schools and system leaders better understand patterns relating to belonging, inclusion and wellbeing. Through surveys and research across hundreds of schools, these insights have begun to reveal aspects of school culture and experience that conventional datasets rarely capture.
However, one perspective remains comparatively under-represented within large-scale education research: parent and carer voice.
The development of GEC Homes and the Parent & Carer Voice Index represents the next stage of this research programme, bringing the experiences of families into the Kaleidoscopic Data framework. Find out more and complete the survey.
Nic Ponsford, Founding CEO of the GEC “Let’s build an education system that listens, understands and acts with empathy.”
Parent voice in existing research
Parent voice has long been recognised as an important dimension of educational research.
Studies of parental engagement and involvement have demonstrated the influence that families have on children’s learning and educational outcomes (Epstein, 2011; Desforges & Abouchaar, 2003). These studies highlight the importance of constructive partnerships between schools and families in supporting learning.
Sociological research has also examined how relationships between families and schools are shaped by social context. Work by Crozier and Davies (2007) and Lareau (2011), for example, illustrates how class, culture and institutional expectations influence the ways in which parents interact with education systems.
Research within SEND and disability studies has further documented the complex experiences of families navigating education systems in search of appropriate support for their children (Runswick-Cole & Goodley, 2013).
Together, these strands of research demonstrate that education cannot be understood solely through institutional structures. It must also be understood through the experiences of families interacting with those structures.
A methodological gap
Despite the insights provided by existing studies, a methodological gap remains.
Much of the literature exploring parent experience relies on small qualitative samples, while national surveys of parents often focus on general satisfaction with schools rather than examining the lived experiences that shape belonging, trust and engagement.
Relatively little research combines:
large-scale parent voice data
lived experience insight
intersectional interpretation
practitioner knowledge
within a single research programme.
This gap is particularly important when considering contemporary challenges in education systems, where indicators such as attendance, behaviour and attainment are often used as proxies for engagement.
While these indicators remain important, they frequently capture the outcomes of disengagement rather than the conditions that produce it.
A Kaleidoscopic perspective
The Kaleidoscopic Data framework attempts to bring these strands together.
Rather than treating parent voice as a simple measure of satisfaction or engagement, the framework recognises that family experiences are shaped by relationships, institutional practices, social context and identity.
Combining quantitative survey data with qualitative insights and practitioner interpretation enables patterns to emerge that may not be visible through single-method approaches.
Placing parent voice alongside student and staff voice also situates family experience within the broader ecology of education systems.
Developing the Parent & Carer Voice Index
The exploratory phase of the Parent & Carer Voice Index has involved a mixed-methods process including focus groups, interviews and collaborative workshops with:
members of the GEC Circle
parent carers with lived experience
charities and advocacy organisations
school-based Inclusion Champions
These early conversations have highlighted recurring themes around communication, trust and partnership between families and schools.
The next phase of the research will involve launching a national Parent & Carer Voice Survey, which will remain open until 9 May.
Insights from this dataset will contribute to the development of the Parent & Carer Voice Index, extending the Kaleidoscopic Data programme and supporting a deeper understanding of family experiences within education systems.
To find out more and complete the survey, please click here.
References
Crenshaw, K. (1989) Demarginalizing the intersection of race and sex. University of Chicago Legal Forum.
Crozier, G. and Davies, J. (2007) ‘Hard to reach parents or hard to reach schools?’, British Educational Research Journal, 33(3).
Desforges, C. and Abouchaar, A. (2003) The Impact of Parental Involvement on Pupil Achievement. London: DfES.
Epstein, J. (2011) School, Family and Community Partnerships. Boulder: Westview Press.
Gillborn, D. (2008) Racism and Education. London: Routledge.
Lareau, A. (2011) Unequal Childhoods. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Runswick-Cole, K. and Goodley, D. (2013) ‘Resilience: A disability studies approach’, Social and Personality Psychology Compass.
