Background
Home-school agreements (School Standards and Framework Act 1998: Sections 110 and 111) can raise standards and contribute to school effectiveness by enhancing partnerships between parents and teachers, providing a framework for the development of such a partnership.  The processes involved in introducing and reviewing the agreement will clarify what the school is trying to achieve, and the agreement will set out the role of the school, parents and pupils in this vital partnership.

Responsibility
The governing body is required to have a written home-school agreement in place, drawn up in consultation with parents.  The agreement should explain the school's aims and values and the respective responsibilities of the school and of the parents, and what the school expects of its pupils.  The governing body must invite parents to sign a declaration in support of the agreement.  They can also invite pupils to sign where they consider that the pupils are sufficiently mature to do so.

Guidance (follow the links in Web Links below)
The Standards website provides extensive guidance (including statutory guidance )on the Home-School agreement.

DCSF has published research on the Evaluation of Home-School Agreements.  For further information, follow the link in Background Reading below.