The School-Parent Partnership Podcast

Most schools aren’t short on effort when it comes to parents – they’re short on a clear, strategic framework.

In Episode 2, we sit down with school leader and PiXL associate Naomi Bartholomew-Millar to explore how she moved her all-through school from ad-hoc initiatives to a sustainable parental engagement strategy – after discovering The Four Pillars of Parental Engagement book.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why effective engagement must align parents, staff and pupils

• How mapping out the school calendar revealed massive engagement gaps across year groups

• Sending weekly updates on Thursdays instead of Fridays to reduce weekend anxiety

Buy The Four Pillars of Parental Engagement: https://www.crownhouse.co.uk/the-four-pillars-of-parental-engagement

Learn more about Fit2Communicate’s offerings: ⁠https://www.fit2communicate.com/services⁠ 

What happens when you prioritise parent partnerships before a child even steps through the school gates?

In Episode 2 of The School-Parent Partnership Podcast, Karen Dempster and Justin Robbins speak with Louis Everett, Co-Headteacher of Reach Academy Hanworth Park, to unpack their remarkable, relationship-first approach to school transition and community engagement.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why Reach Academy conducts home visits for every incoming family

• The power of personalised welcome videos in transforming rigid admin steps into moments of genuine celebration

• How core principles, like courage, reflection and fun, guide daily dialogue with parents

Learn more about Fit2Communicate’s offerings: https://www.fit2communicate.com/services

In our debut episode of The School-Parent Partnership Podcast, hosts Karen Dempster and Justin Robbins sit down with SEND specialist Santanu Sengupta, founder of the Neurodiverse Parenting Hub.

Together, we explore how to move away from reactive community firefighting, practical time-saving strategies for communicating with neurodivergent families.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Being curious about children’s experiences at home and at school – and the possible need for trained people to facilitate this

• Validating exhausted parents of SEND children – and how to meet them where they’re at

• How to establish a shared, trusted language before home-school friction begins

🔗 Resources mentioned in this episode:

Learn more about Fit2Communicate’s offerings: https://www.fit2communicate.com/services 

Connect with Santanu: https://www.neurodiverseparentinghub.com

Your school’s ultimate framework audio space: for school leaders, Multi-Academy Trusts and educational teams looking to build lasting, trusted parental partnerships. Hosted by Fit2Communicate co-founders Karen Dempster and Justin Robbins.

Over our past decade of working with schools and families, we’ve learned that building such partnerships isn’t about doing more – it’s about doing things differently.

Once a month, we’re stepping beyond the school gate to share what it actually takes to build them. We’ll be sitting down with frontline Headteachers, SENDcos and education experts who are making it work.

You'll hear:

• Real-world peer insights
• Evidence-based frameworks
• Practical, resource-friendly tools designed to save staff hours, reduce administrative workload and protect your school's community trust

Just honest, practical conversations for busier-than-ever school communities. 

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