Parental Involvement and Engagement Census Scotland 2021/22

Impact of Covid-19

The impact of Covid-19 on schools and education has been significant, and schools have responded by putting in place different ways of working over the changing landscape since early 2020. This will affect the data, and needs to be taken into account in understanding and using the results. The questions are designed to capture the engagement at the time of data collection (January – June 2022). Whilst restrictions have meant limits to face-to-face engagement, local authorities quickly put in place arrangements to continue engaging with parents/carers. Where local authorities undertook their PIE Census 2018/19, the 2020/22 results provide (where relevant) evidence at two data points to support evidencing improvement and monitoring over time.

Education Scotland worked with a range of national bodies to develop an approach to engaging with parents, carers and learners during remote learning. While some questions may not seem very relevant in the context of school closures due to Covid-19, and measures in place following their reopening, different approaches have been taken across local authorities, it is important locally and nationally to understand what works well and where improvements can be made. The evidence provides an update for local authorities on the impact of the changes to parental engagement following the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting restrictions. This will help inform improvement going forward.