Ruth James explains the benefits of Families
Together, a West Sussex Adult Education Service project
that uses home visits as a way to engage parents in their
child's reading.
"Are you coming to my house again tonight?" Families
Together project staff hear this question over and again,
either from children currently on the project, or from those
who have experienced it.
Families Together is a home reading project, delivered
by teaching assistants and nursery nurses, which aims to
give the parents and carers of primary school children the
confidence and skills to support their children's developing
reading skills and to make reading an enjoyable experience
for everyone. Each family gets six one-hour visits, during
which adults and children share activities designed to help
adults to understand how children learn. These include how
to share books with children and listen positively to their
reading, how to use non-fiction texts and the value of joining
the local library.
Project workers take along a range of activities targeted
at the child, but parents are expected to join in so that
they can continue the activities when the visits end. Siblings,
friends and the dog invariably want to be involved as well.
Making books or information cards about a topic of interest,
sharing flap books, rhyming books and pop-up books often
score highly with adults and children alike.
The project is aimed at those hard-to-reach families who
do not normally access either mainstream adult education
courses or family learning courses running in school. This
might include single parents with young children who find
it difficult to get childcare, parents who may have negative
experiences of education or who may be poor readers themselves,
and other parents who are simply unaware that enjoyment
of reading opens doors into new and exciting worlds for
adults and children alike.
Parents often comment positively about the project, moving
from tentative acceptance to enthusiasm as the project progresses.
"I found this course absolutely
brilliant. It has shown us how to enjoy learning and playing
and enjoying doing things together as a family. It has given
me a lot of confidence and lots of ideas to help my children.
We have all now joined the library and are looking forward
to spending time round there together. I shall miss it but
carry on with what I've learned." (Parent)
Finally the benefits to the schools are also significant.
Heads and class teachers report improved relationships between
families and school, with parents making a real effort to
become more involved in their children's education.
"One pupil's school attendance
was very poor before he started the course and now has improved
greatly. Mum is more confident about coming into school
and talking to the teachers." (Project worker)
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