Susan Doherty Development Officer Family Learning Education Scotland

Children spend approximately 15% of their waking hours in school, which leaves 85% spent at home, with huge potential for learning. For many adults a family learning course can be the first step to taking up further adult learning and training opportunities or gaining a job. For children, this can have an impact on attainment and their learning journey.

Effects of parents/effects of schools achievement parent/school effects Age 7 0.29/0.05 Age 11 0.27/0.21 Age 16 0.14/0.51 From Sacker et al 2002

So...What is Family Learning? Family learning is a powerful method of learning which can challenge educational disadvantage, promote socio-economic resilience and foster positive attitudes towards life-long learning.

How do we know this?  “What parents do with their children at home through the age range, is much more significant than any other factor open to educational influence.” Professor Charles Desforges: The Impact of Parental Involvement, Parental Support and Family Education on Pupil Achievements and Adjustment: A Literature Review

"The idea that parents need to be literate and that through the intergenerational transfer of skills and attitudes, the parents' education can influence the subsequent educational achievement of their children, is a foundational belief of contemporary family learning programmes.“ Dr Tom Sticht: Towards a Multiple Life Cycles Education Policy (2007)

Types of Family Learning Groups Family Literacies Projects – supporting the individual needs of the parents to support those of the child. Usually in partnership with Nurseries or schools. Family Learning with Creativity – using artists, Heritage sites and Museum and Galleries. Managing children's behaviour – classes primarily for parents gaining skills to communicate more effectively. (Mellow Parenting) Family Nurturing Projects – looking at new mums and dads and how they interact effectively with their child (Solihull Approach, Barnardos) Families Learning for Health & Wellbeing – projects looking at healthy food at affordable prices. ESOL Family Learning Family Learning for Fathers – engagement of fraternal figure within the home. This can be with the grandfather, uncle, dad or whoever is the fraternal figure in the child's life.

Who is delivering Family Learning? CLD Voluntary Sector Colleges Schools (Nursery-High School) Private Sector NHS Social Work Early Years Practitioners Partnerships are key to providing a holistic, universal and sustainable approach to working with families.

Policy Links GIRFEC – Getting it right for every child WALT – Working and Learning together to build stronger Communities. Parental Involvement Act National Parenting Strategy ALiS 2020 - Adult Literacies in Scotland Early Years Framework Adult ESOL strategy

Embedding Core Skills into Family Learning Groups Making the Most of the Children A Core Skills Programme Embedding Core Skills into Family Learning Programmes

Key Outcomes Parents will improve literacies and core skills and have the opportunity to have their achievements recognised through SQA accreditation in core skills. Increased parental confidence through the programme and the modelling of more effective communication skills will have a positive influence on their children’s attitude to learning which in turn will enhance the learning of the whole family. Parents will have increased confidence in their literacy skills to take on further learning, which in turn will benefit the whole family.

Can this be used for ESOL practitioners in it’s present form? If it needs to be changed, would that be to the original document, or would an accompanying document need to be written? Thinking of your own organization, groups and learners, is this something that you would use?

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