THE ROLE of parents in their children's education is set to change significantly. With new legislation coming on stream, parents will have more and more opportunities to participate on all levels, from having a say in State policy to helping out in the classroom.

Any development like this needs to be approached with careful consideration and planning. At the recent annual delegate conference of the National Parents' Council (Primary), the focus was on "partnership" as a cultural challenge.

Fionnuala Kilfeather is the national co ordinator of the NPC

. "Partnership is a real buzz word at the moment," she says. "But turning that aspiration into a reality is a cultural challenge, a challenge to how the system previously worked. It is a challenge to all the partners involved and not something you can expect to achieve instantly.

"We have to focus on the objective behind partnership, which is to create a situation where children are happier and achieve more. All the research shows that where parents and teachers work together, communicate well and share common expectations, children do better."

While partnership is widely seen as the way forward, it is also recognised that parents will choose to have varying degrees of involvement in their children's education some more active than others.

Gill McEvoy has been a member of her parents association for the past year. "When my eldest child first went to school, I began to feel very left out of his life," she says. "I would leave him at the door and pick him up five hours later, and I would have very little idea of what he did all day. I joined my school parents association as a channel - through which I could be more involved.

"It is essential that parents have the opportunity to be involved in their children's education. I would feel we are all acting in the interests of the child, and if we can work together, it has to be best for the child."

ACCORDING TO Albert O Ceallaigh, chief executive of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, developing an effective partnership, "requires a reexamination of what we mean by the term `school'. There are many differing views on the nature and purpose of school, but they all share the common denominator that school is about learning in its broadest sense.

"Good schools recognise the benefits of working with parents - they don't underestimate the difficulties in this endeavour, but they plan for it.

"Schools are also an integral part of the wider community. There is a wealth of facilities in communities which can enrich what takes place within the school."

Pat Diggins, director of the education centre in Drumcondra, Dublin, says developing effective partnership demands re thinking previously held ideas about education. "Many assumptions we hold about school are no longer relevant, but they continue to have an inordinate influence on how schools are organised.

"The ethos of a school should come from the values of the school community - teachers, parents, pupils - and reflect the values of the wider community the school serves.

"The community may be influenced by the values of its church, but the community needs to assert its own values, which should be respected by teachers and patrons. To be responsive to children's needs, schools have to be more open and broad in their operation. To achieve this we will have to build bridges built on trust and mutual respect."

Fionnuala Kilfeather says while "the legislation is a kick start for partnership, there is also an urgent need for training for all concerned, if we are to give any real meaning to the whole idea".

To facilitate the development of parents' associations and the role of parents in education at all levels, the NPC

set up the "Parents Programme". "Through the course parents explore their particular needs, look at the role of the teachers, teamwork, fostering a good atmosphere at the school, the work of a parents' association and working with and on a board of management," Kilfeather says.

According to O Ceallaigh, partnership requires "a process of building consensus in decision making and ensuring that parents have a meaningful role in planning for the educational needs of their children. At school level, the best way to address these issues is through good communication and fostering a climate of trust.