Written question asked by John Bercow (Conservative) on Thursday, 3 November 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 7 November 2005. It was answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern (Labour) on Wednesday, 9 November 2005 on behalf of the Department for Education and Skills.

Parenting Contracts

Question: (3) what action is being taken by her Department to improve parental responsibility for pupil behaviour in school.

Answer: Parenting contracts are available for school behaviour and attendance. They are formal agreements between parent and school or parent and local authority in which each side sets out the steps they will take to secure an improvement in the child's behaviour or attendance.My Department has provided dedicated support and advice to local authorities on the introduction of these measures and their effective implementation. To support further, guidance and examples of effective practice have been published on the departmental website.Parenting contracts are one of a range of strategies that schools and local authorities can use to improve school discipline. They can be used alone or in conjunction with other measures such as pastoral support programmes for pupils.

Secondary information