Parent's Charter and other information

Parent's Charter

The first Parent's Charter was issued in 1991. It signalled the start of an information revolution to extend parental choice and raise standards. It promised parents five key documents:

report on their child's progress at least once a year;
regular reports on their child's school from independent inspectors;
performance tables for all local schools;
prospectus or brochure about individual schools; and
an annual report from the school's governors.

Important changes have taken place in schools since 1991. Parents' rights have been strengthened. An Updated Parent's Charter was therefore issued in June 1994. It explains what parents can now expect and how to become more effective partners in their children's education. Copies of the Charter are also available on audio cassette and in braille, and in a number of ethnic community languages.

If you want to know more about the Parent's Charter, you can contact:

David Gleave
Parent's Charter Unit
Department for Education
Sanctuary Buildings
Great Smith Street
London SW1P 3BT
0171-925 5918.

Charter for Further Education

If you or your child will be going to college, you may find it helpful to have a copy of the Department's Charter for Further Education. If you want to know more about this you can contact:

Graeme Brown
FE Branch
Department for Education
Sanctuary Buildings
Great Smith Street
London SW1P 3BT
0171-925 5259.

Your child's next school

If your child will be starting at secondary school in September 1995, you may find it helpful to read our leaflet called Your child's next school.

Management of the School Day

Further information on lesson time is given in DFE Circular 7/90, Management of the School Day. This includes the recommended minimum hours for various ages, for example 24 hours a week for 12 to 16 year-old pupils.

It's your choice

You can find more information on choosing courses, and on the difference between GCE A levels, AS examinations and vocational qualifications, in the booklet It's your choice.

The New Qualifications Framework

You may also like a copy of the Department's leaflet on The New Qualifications Framework, which gives a brief guide to the three main kinds of qualifications available at the age of 16 and beyond to prepare for higher education and work.

You can get copies of these leaflets from the DFE Publications Centre at:

DFE Publications Centre
PO Box 6927
London E3 3NZ
0171 510 0150.

If you have any questions about the information in the tables (including the nature of examinations and qualifications) first contact the school concerned.