Every school community is made up of several key partners, each of whom has a significant role in relation to the children. These are parents--who are their children's first educators, staff--all staff, the local community, the local authority and the governing body which represents all of these and is ultimately responsible for the school. All need to be treated with equal respect since they all contribute to children's education in different ways. A successful school is achieved through good relationships between all the partners, a listening ethos where every view is valued, excellent communication, a commitment to promoting equality and countering discrimination, respect for everyone's rights, particularly children's, and a belief that every child has talent and will succeed whatever the difficulties. In this article, the author discusses the role parents and governors play and how important their views are to the school and teachers.