An introduction to community engagement

Community engagement refers to the way your board interacts with its school community.

It’s how your board strengthens this partnership.

Like any partnership, communication and mutual respect are vital.

Your school community is likely made up of different groups with differing needs and objectives for their children.

When schools involve their community, it builds strong relationships, supports better decisions, and helps students thrive.

What is meant by community engagement?

The Education Review Office (ERO) defines community engagement as “a meaningful, respectful partnership between schools and their parents, whānau, and communities that focuses on improving the educational experiences and successes for each child.”

ERO found that the better the engagement, the more positive the impact on students’ learning.

Community engagement covers a wide range of activities, but there are three main types (we’ll give an example of each):

• Communication – a newsletter about your school’s progress towards its strategic goals.

• Consultation – the community helps your school develop its vision and value statements.

• Partnership – the board works together with the local iwi, hapū and Māori whānau to ensure equitable outcomes for Māori students.

Why is it critical to engage with your school community?

All school community members should be aware of your board’s work and the school’s progress toward its vision and goals.

One of your board’s key roles is to ensure that the governance of your school aligns with the paramount objectiveopen_in_new and the aspirations and wishes of your school community.

Strong community involvement yields long-term benefits for students, including enhanced opportunities, increased engagement, increased confidence, improved attitudes, and higher achievement.

Additionally, strong partnerships have a positive impact on school culture.

When students see their culture, values, and identity reflected in their school, they are more likely to feel a sense of belonging, which directly contributes to their engagement and success.

These benefits are just the start of the changes you’ll see.

How does engagement help boards make better decisions?

There are times when consulting your community is a legal requirement, but engagement also strengthens decision making.

A strong relationship between your school and its community makes it easier to set meaningful goals and make informed choices based on shared aspirations, vision, and values.

How does community engagement build trust?

Community engagement is more than just asking the community about their opinions.

Your school’s policies and work have a significant impact on the community and its children, both now and in the future, so it’s vital to keep everyone informed about what’s happening.

Regular communication and transparency give the community confidence in your board.

When trust is strong, parents and whānau are more likely to engage positively with the school, creating a supportive environment where students and staff feel valued and encouraged to succeed.

Who is your school community?

The school community is defined in the Education and Training Act 2020 as:

• The parents, families, and whānau of the school’s students

• The Māori community associated with the school

• Any other person or group of persons who the board considers part of the school community for the purposes of the relevant provision.

   

Your board should consider including other community groups, such as:

• Disability community

• LGBTQ+ community

• Agencies that support your students with their learning

• Schools in the educational pathway for your students

• Ethnic, religious, or cultural groups within your wider community

• Organisations that might use your school’s facilities.

State-integrated and designated character schools should also include their proprietor and, if applicable, their associated parishes, organisations, or affiliated groups.

Some people may identify with more than one community, so it’s vital that your board identifies and engages with as many groups as possible.

Where can you find guidance on identifying who is in your community?

The Ministry of Education has created a series of downloadable worksheets to support schools in understanding their community and to engage successfully with its various community groups.

These can be found on the Ministry’s school planning and reporting frameworkopen_in_new web page.

We recommend using the resources for implementing the framework as part of this first step to identify who you need to engage and partner with (and to ensure you don’t miss anyone).

How can your board engage with its community?

Developing a good process and a solid plan is the best way to ensure you’re doing a good job.

Here are some ideas that might inspire you:

• After each board meeting, write an article in your school newsletter to keep your community up to date with board news. Ensure this highlights the connections to community input, showcasing the value of their participation.

• Highlight when the next board meeting is and encourage the community to attend and observe the meeting.

• Be proactive in what information you make available on your website (such as ERO reports, board policies, agendas, and meeting minutes (not public excluded minutes)).

• Be visible to your school community by attending as many school events as possible (such as assemblies, parent information evenings, and working bees).

• Seek feedback from the community in multiple ways (such as surveys, polls, interviews, forums, feedback boxes, hui, and fono).

• Be active in your school board elections – promote information about what the board does, what board members gain from being involved and how to join the board.

   

Identifying the best way to engage with different groups is the first step in building robust, reciprocal partnerships with your school community, particularly with Māori as tangata whenua.

You can read more about how to successfully engage with your school’s community in our related article Consulting your school community.

Questions your board could ask 

• Who are all the members of our school community?

• Why is it important to engage with them?

• Do we have a plan for community engagement?

• Does our plan include how we will engage with all the different groups in our community?

• Do we know how our community wants to engage with us?

• Have we delegated responsibility for community engagement activities?

• How do we know our plan is working successfully?

• How can we ensure our community relationships are reciprocal?

• How can our school contribute to the activities or events happening in our community?

Templates, resources, and references

Click on the link(s) below to access this topic’s templates, resources, and references.

Depending on your device, these may download or open in a separate browser.

Links from us

• Consulting your school community

Ministry of Education

• Te Whakangārahu Ngātahi: The school planning and reporting frameworkopen_in_new

   

Education and Training Act 2020

• Section 127 – Paramount objective of boards in governing schoolsopen_in_new