Parental Engagement

John Poyner

1. Mix N Match

Educational courses run in collaboration with Coleg Y Cymoedd (Ystrad Mynach)

2. Family Engagement Project(school based)

• The project is an 8 week course where families would attend for 1 evening a week for 2. 1/2 hours.

• The families / children that are identified must have emerging needs: for example: poverty, behavioural issues, involved in anti social behaviour, NEETs; unfortunately families can not be referred if currently involved with Team around the Family (TAF) or Social Services.

• The idea of the project is to bring families together to spend time doing things that they may not do on a day to day basis, for example

– sitting down as a family for a meal,

– playing games,

• Family activity such as decorating cakes, pizza's, making bird boxes etc

• Designing a family shield (something that represents their family e.g. family tree with photo's drawings etc) .

• We also bring in agencies such as Supporting people, Credit union, TAF, Parenting, Right from the Start any service,/agency that will benefit or support families.

• There is also on going support for a duration for 4 weeks once the course is finished

3. Caerphilly Learning Festival

• Grants for family learning projects e.g. Music/ Literacy, Science, Theatre Visit

4. Dads and Lads Club

• Audit skills of parents

• Set up Dads and Lads clubs linked to learning e.g. Skalextric, Golf, Radio Broadcasting, Trips etc.

5. PTAs

• Attract more parents into PTAs and school life through attendance at various school events and Year 6 evenings

7. Get Caerphilly Online(Communities 2.0)

• IT courses run in schools for parents

8. InterGen Clubs

• The Council has 12 InterGen clubs located across Primary and Secondary schools. Parents and Grandparents interact with and engage in activities with the pupils in areas such as IT, reading, traditional board games and arts and crafts.

9. Parents Skills Audit

• Schools can design a parent questionnaire geared to identifying what skills, hobbies and interests parents have that they may be able to offer the school e.g. building skills, sports coaching, arts, craft and design etc, etc. Such activities can be linked to learning.

10. Community Events

• Schools can organise a fete at anytime of the year and invite a number of community partners who will actively engage with parents e.g. healthy schools, sport development, family learning, FE college, credit union, etc, etc. which can have a positive impact for the school.

11. FAST(Families and Schools Together)Save the Children.

3rd Floor,                                                                            

Phoenix House

8 Cathedral Road

CARDIFF

CF11 9LJ

Tel: 02920 396838

Fax: 029 2022 7797

Email: walesinfo@savethechildren.org.uk

12. Parent/ Teacher/ Pupil Trips

• e.g. attend a rugby match, visit a sports stadium, theatre or museum and link it to literacy or maths.

13. PDG Funding

Benefits of using the fund to support parent engagement roles within schools

Angela Davies – CAST Cymru