2009 winners

A total of six winners were presented with their £1,000 awards by either the Rt Hon Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for Schools and Learners or the Rt Hon Peter Robinson MP MLA, First Minister for Northern Ireland, at a special ceremony held at the House of Commons on 29 April 2009.

All Saints’ First School PTFA, Leek, Staffordshire: Inspire

The Parent Teacher and Friends Association at All Saint’s First School wants to inspire parents to become more engaged in their children’s learning. Feedback from parents has identified that links between home and school need to be stronger. Over the next year, every class in the school will get the chance to participate in a half day workshop which aims to overcome barriers to participation. These will give parents the opportunity to gain direct experience of what and how their children are taught. Importantly, parents will take part alongside pupils, teachers and other support staff providing a positive and rewarding experience. Parents will get the chance to build their relationship with the school as well as being more able to support learning at home. A buddying system will be used to target parents that do not usually attend school events. For All Saints’ First School, this is a whole school initiative which aims to build and extend strong partnerships with parents.

Beechfield Primary School, Templemore, Belfast and St Joseph’s Primary School, Slate Street, Belfast: Cross Community Parent Partnership

Parents at Beechfield and St Joseph’s primary schools have proposed a ground breaking initiative: a cross community Parents’ Association. Beechfield Primary is an interface school situated in a loyalist area, with St. Joseph’s located in what is considered an extremely nationalist area of Belfast. The initiative is supported by both schools which applaud parents for the progress they have made over the last two years. However, there is concern that difficulties may occur due to the diverse backgrounds of those involved. Parents and children from both schools will therefore get the opportunity to attend a residential weekend at Corrymeela to breakdown barriers and provide a safe environment where people, from diverse backgrounds, can develop trust and explore and accept each others’ differences. The objective is to strengthen and help sustain positive relationships between both groups. By involving children in the residential weekend it is hoped that the relationships currently being formed will be continued by the next generation.

Castle Rock High School PTA, Coalville, Leicestershire: PTA Community First Aid Course

The Parent Teacher Association at Castle Rock High School aims to encourage a dialogue between parents and their children through participation in a shared learning experience. Together, parents and children will be offered the opportunity to take part in a community first aid course. It is hoped that this will enable parents to better support learning at home. Giving parents the opportunity to gain a qualification will reinforce the importance of learning and encourage greater parental involvement. To achieve this project, the PTA will work to make Castle Rock High School an accredited first aid training centre. Castle Rock is a new school built to serve the local community and sees this initiative as part of its commitment to community cohesion.

Tullycarnet Primary School, Belfast: Preparing for Primary School

Working in partnership with Tullycarnet Primary School for over a decade, the Tullycarnet Family Project aims to improve the quality of life for families in the Tullycarnet area and increase the participation of parents and children in school life. It will target families with children in their pre-school year to support parents to become actively involved in their children’s learning and development as they start primary school. There is confidence that supporting parents to be actively involved in their children’s learning and development is critical in improving their success at school. However, many parents lack confidence or have had a negative experience of education which prevents them from engaging with their children’s learning. A package of support for families will be offered throughout the pre-school year. This will be designed to give parents advice and information about preparing their child for school and to help them begin to relate easily to the primary school setting.

Friends of Wyedean School Association, Wyedean School and Sixth Form College, Sedbury,Gloucestershire: Educating Parents to Support Learning Project

The newly reformed Friends identified that they needed to do more to help parents understand the value of their involvement with the school and in their children’s education. It aims to increase parental involvement and the ability of parents to support the education and learning of their children through a series of events. Parents will be provided with strategies, resources and information on how to support their children’s learning in partnership with the school. The project is designed as a long term strategy, targeting all parents of children at the School and Sixth Form College. Whilst strengthening the home-school relationship is a key part of the school’s strategy it is looking to the Friends and this project for fresh impetus and to build on existing approaches.

Friends of Wykeham Primary School, Hornchurch, Essex: Support Code

The Friends of Wykeham Primary School have achieved a first in the history of the LEAPP Awards: they will receive funding not to develop a new initiative but to showcase their successful Support Code project to other local schools and PTAs. With a demonstrable benefit for pupils at Wykeham, the Friends want to share their experience more widely. The scheme trains parents as in-school mentors to work with children with an identified support need. All those parents who initially started the course have children with special needs. Chris Jones, the Headteacher of Wykeham Primary School has praised the Friends for their commitment to making this project happen: “The Friends have worked tirelessly on developing this scheme. Their enthusiasm and dedication can not be surpassed. Our school has benefited so much from having parents lead in building our school community by encouraging greater parent participation. I’m grateful that the Friends will now get the chance to share all that they have learnt with other PTAs and schools”.

Details of the presentation ceremony for 2009 are now available.  Also, see how PTAs use their Gold Star Reward and LEAPP Award success to gain local awareness and recognition of their achievements.