2007 winners

Friends of Allanson Street Primary School: Intergenerational Community Programme

This PTA led project made a big impression on the NCPTA judging panel.  By working in partnership with the largest local social landlord, the Helena Housing Association, hard to reach parents will be encouraged to take up opportunities to learn alongside their children in a community setting.  The underlying sense of community collaboration came through strongly and judges felt children would also benefit from working with older members of the local community. The Friends of Allanson Street already have further plans to use the knowledge and skills of these community members to benefit children through reminiscence and traditional crafts projects.

Bowbridge Primary School: Bowbridge United

This highly targeted project will place parents at the heart of efforts to engage the very hardest to reach.  The aim is to appeal to parents who have had no involvement with the school through ‘parent champions’ who have themselves benefited enormously from becoming involved with the school.  The Bowbridge United project will take the form of a club run for parents by other parents.  Initial contact will simply be social to try and overcome barriers to participation.  It is hoped that through small steps parents will progress onto learning more about different ways to play with children, read them stories as well as an opportunity to develop their own literacy, numeracy and ICT skills.

Hartshill Secondary School: Healthy People, Healthy Living

Through this project, Hartshill School will develop the healthy eating agenda and make it relevant to its pupils and their parents.  Responding to demand pupils will be offered the opportunity to learn how to cook family meals alongside their parents.  The aim is to improve behaviour and readiness to learn by demonstrating that it is possible to make healthy and enjoyable family meals on a budget.  Ultimately, the goal is to significantly change the food children consume at home.  It is hoped that the Healthy People, Healthy Living project will also help to breakdown some of the barriers to participation which prevent many of the parents at Hartshill from getting involved in their children’s education.

Hornsea School and Language College: Family Learning is Fun

Hornsea School and Language College aims to deliver a substantial family learning programme across a range of subject areas that will cater for the specific needs of different groups of children and parents within the school.  Frustrated by the lack of available funding for family learning initiatives in secondary schools, Hornsea will use its LEAPP Award to provide a continuation of the family learning opportunities offered in its feeder primary school.  This will commence with a jointly hosted family learning event as part of the transition programme for Year 6 pupils.  Judges particularly noted that this is planned as a whole school project with all subject areas contributing.  The glowing endorsement of the project from Steve Lawrence, deputy headteacher, concludes that success most crucially will be measured by generating the conversation at home, “How did your day go?”

Kidbrooke School Association: Involving Parents in Restorative Justice

Better known for being the secondary school featured in the ‘Jamie’s School Dinners’ TV programme, Kidbrooke School will use its LEAPP funding to gain the involvement of parents in a programme of restorative justice.  The school is already working to improve behaviour and wants to ensure that parents are involved in reducing conflict.  Led by Kidbrooke School Association, workshops will be offered to parents to develop awareness and skills in active listening, conflict management, emotional education and understanding and tolerance towards diversity.  The proposal received a resounding endorsement from the NCPTA judging panel as a very innovative approach to engaging parents as partners in a crucial issue for the school. 

Villa Real Special School: Real Therapy Interactive Workshops

Villa Real is a Community Special School catering for children and young people aged 2 – 19 years with severe and multiple learning difficulties.  Holistic therapy workshops will be offered for pupils and their parents/carers to participate in together; providing an inclusive and accessible opportunity for stress reduction, relaxation, effective communication and the building of trusting relationships.  The workshops will see a reversal of roles with the students acting as the carer rather than being cared for.  Parents will gain and understanding of different approaches to help de-stress an anxious child and ways to assist a child with physical difficulties.