THE key is communication, as they say – and this invaluable skill is even more true in schools, especially ones in rural communities.

An essential part of the education system involves parents having easy access to what their children are doing at school.

At the Clifton Primary School in Clifton upon Teme, near Bromyard, they are proving they are leaders in this field, despite being in a remote community in Worcestershire.

Last year the school was the first in Worcestershire to pick up the prestigious Leading Partnership award, which was part of a national scheme being piloted in Worcestershire to help parents become more involved with their children’s school.

The award audits the school’s parental engagement, identifying areas for improvement, with pilot schools becoming ambassadors across the county.

The award normally takes 12 to 15 months to achieve, but Clifton took just eight months to reach the required level.

To improve communications even further between the community, school, council and the parent, new information points were set up in the schools.

Key support and advice is now at the parents’ fingertips thanks to the funding from Worcestershire County Council.

The council’s extended services team have provided funds allowing more than 160 schools across the county to be fitted with a parent information point (Pip), costing about £160 each.

They are permanent noticeboards and leaflet racks which will be home to vital details on a wide range of services, including school information, for parents to access. One of the schools to have already been fitted with a Pip is the primary school in Clifton.

Headteacher Debbie Mitchell said the noticeboards were an important addition at the school.

She said: “Our parent information point is in an area where many parents wait on the playground when they bring their children to school. It has given us another easy means of keeping up to date with all the latest news.

“It’s all about having information available and support parents – it could be help with everything from family problems to smoke alarms. There is a lot of information available out there but sometimes parents don’t know about it or how to access it, so this is just another way for them to do it.

“For us, especially being in a rural community, it’s important for a school to be a central part of the community and be a hub of the community. We also have after-school family learning, and various other activities such as a ‘big chef, little chef’ evening and IT sessions.

“We are a major employer in the village; there are around 50 people employed in the primary school, nursery and children’s centre, which is a lot for a school in a small village.

“The extended services we also offer include an after-school club until 6pm. This allows time for parents to work full time and then pick their children up slightly later.

“There is also a holiday club and there are lots of other activities.”

The school has 86 children, with about 40 per cent from outside their catchment area.

Mrs Mitchell said: “We need to be resourceful. So the services we provide need to be wanted and used by parents, so keeping in touch with them is vital.”

Teaching assistant Di Yarnold, who is in charge of keeping the parent information points well stocked, said they were an important asset to the school.

She said: “It provides parents with information in black and white. So there are all sorts of things there, from bullying to 200 ways to help with maths.

“Parents come in and read them and it’s a great way to provide one extra service at our school. It really is for the whole community to use.”

Caroline Palethorpe, Worcestershire County Council extended services co-ordinator, said: “The introduction of the parent information points has given schools the opportunity to promote relevant good quality information appropriate to the community they serve.

“These unique information points have also provided a central access which has improved the effectiveness of closer parental engagement.”