SCOTTISH parents are less likely to have discussions about their child’s progress at school than families in other countries.

A survey by the OECD as part of its analysis of international education systems found teachers and parents were less likely to initiate meetings.

In addition, Scottish parents were less likely to participate in the running of their school through parent councils and less likely to volunteer for extra-curricular activities.

However, they were more likely to attend scheduled parents’ meetings to discuss how to support learning at home.

The findings mirror the results of a number of surveys that have shown most parents in Scotland are reluctant to get involved in their school.

A Scottish Government poll in 2005 found 70 per cent of parents said they had never volunteered to help, despite half being willing to do more.

Families who do not get involved often feel parent councils are dominated by elitist cliques or they simply do not have the time to help.

The Scottish Parent Teacher Council (SPTC) launched a pilot project last year that set up action teams at each participating school looking at new ways to reach out to members of the community.

Eileen Prior, executive director of the SPTC, said: “In too many schools, teachers and parents are not allowed to have direct contact in relation to a child’s progress.

“Family engagement is one of the key ways to improve outcomes, but we have a long way to go before the partnership between families and schools works.”

The survey also found Scottish pupils were more likely to report high levels of support from their teachers.

Euan Duncan, president of the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association, said: “There is no shortage of passion or commitment from teachers and they are working hard to develop the kind of positive ethos required for good learning.”

Pupils were more likely than OECD students to say they had never skipped classes in the two weeks prior to the Pisa test, but around half said they had arrived late for school.

A survey of headteachers found they were less likely than other countries to say truancy was a problem and more likely to say intimidating or bullying among pupils hindered learning “very little”.