Insights into Positive Approaches to Parent Partnership Working in UK Nursery Schools

Abstract

In this article, we share interviews with Maintained Nursery School (MNS) leaders in deprived areas of the West Midlands of England. This constructivist research was carried out to better understand the 'why' and 'how' of parent partnership in early years settings. During our conversations with leaders, they explained how they establish and maintain positive relationships with parents, and in this article, we highlight examples of tangible benefits to the lives of children and families resulting from their partnerships. Our data identify a moral imperative felt by practitioners to 'fill the gap', resulting from the demise of public services in the area. Our interviews reveal the intrinsic satisfaction these leaders experience in 'making a difference'; but we question a system which relies upon goodwill, and represents a largely invisible and unrecognised public service, attempting to mitigate the impacts of growing deprivation and adversity.