What is a Parent Support Advisor?
Parenting isn't an easy job, and at times things can get tough. Like every other parent you want what's best for your child.
Parent support advisors are there to help you deal with any worries or concerns about how your child is doing at school. We may not have all the answers, but we might be able to help you work them out.
What sort of worries or concerns?
- We can help to prevent problem behaviour from becoming more difficult.
- We can have regular meetings with you, at home or in school.
- We can help find other services or agencies to help families.
- We can support you when you meet teachers or other professionals.
- We can help you and your child when they are starting school, or moving between schools.
- We can help you get the best out of school life.
- We can help you understand what your child learns: annual reviews, special projects, homework, coursework or tests.
- We can support you when attendance or exclusion is cause for concern.
Call Angie Barker: 0793 444 2417 or 01328 710476
Getting Involved With Reading
As a parent you are the person who knows your child best, so you are ideally placed to help them with reading. Parents play a very important part in school life and research shows that parents who get involved in their child's education make a big difference to how well their children learn.
Here are some things you can do to support reading at home:
- Visit the local library - it's free to join! And there's lots of choice too. Ask the Librarian to help you find books about your favourite hobbies, sports, crafts and help with homework.
- Get cooking - encourage and help your child to read out the recipe, collect ingredients and to weigh them. All good fun and with a little bit of Literacy and Numeracy thrown in without them even knowing!
- Shopping lists - help your child create their own shopping list by supporting them with spelling out the items you would like them to find. Ask the children to read what is needed and help them find it when on your shopping trip. This is a good way to distract your children whilst promoting good communication between you.
- Label objects around your home with post-it notes or signs.
- Sing Nursery Rhymes or songs together.
- Let your child see you reading and talk about what your favourite book was when you were young. Who knows - it may be also one of their favourites too!
- Create a word box - every time you learn to read a new word, jot it down and pop it in the box. When you have collected a few, take them out and see if you can read them again!
- It's always good to hear when you've tried your best, so remember to praise every effort that your child makes with reading. It's amazing what 'well done' can do for your child's self confidence.
More Information
Our Parent Support Officer is Angie Barker. Her office is at the Alderman Peel High School, and she can be contacted on 01328 710476 0r 0793 444 2417.