Schools

Engaging Parents: New from September 2008

"It doesn’t matter how much money we put into education if parents don’t parent." (Barack Obama) But what can we do to make a positive difference for parents and for children? At Family Life Ministry we now have funding to support the development of  Group Leadership skills for those who run, or would like to run, parenting programmes through their local school or parish community. These programmmes are wonderfully affirming for parents as well as being life changing for their children. As Anne Ruane, Diocesan Parenting Support Worker, reminds us ' When you teach your children you teach your children's children'.

Next training: Leeds March 2010 there are places for people nominated by their school, parish or other related organisation. If you would like your school or parish to be part of this exciting intiative supported by the Celebrating Family Fund contact Anne Ruane

What else can FLM offer?

Visits to schools can be arranged on request: Contact us.

For relationship education and young people's assertiveness programmes contact Marjorie Parker

Primary Schools

In collaboration with members of CARES as it was then, now part of the Vicariate for Evangelisation, a Home School Parish Development Team was established. We made 19 visits to primary schools throughout the diocese from September 2004 to November 2005 and have met representatives of almost every school and their home and parish communities.

Note also what else is available in the diocese:

The Wednesday Word   (a new resource for primary school families 2008)

Created from an original idea by Dannie Firth of St Austin's parish, Wakefield, in the Diocese of Leeds, The Wednesday Word is an exciting new initiative to evangelise families through our Catholic schools, connecting home, school and parish by spreading the Gospel to families. The principle is simple and effective: every family receives, from their children's primary school, a sheet every week with a couple of short reflections and prayers. It is designed to nourish family spirituality and has already made a real impact on families who have used it. It was extensivley piloted and there has been very enthusiatic feedback from families. If you would like to be part of this it is only available through schools. To find out more please email family@wednesdayword.ord or go to their website : www.wednesdayword.org. The Wednesday Word is dedicated to St Joseph, patron saint of families and has been backed by prayer from Carmelites throughout the UK.

Secondary Schools

Following the ongoing success of the Home School Parish initiative based on primary schools in the diocese a planning team convened to consider how these vital relationships can be supported in the secondary school sector.  We planned for a small team,  representative of the components of the home school parish triangle, to visit high schools and sixth form colleges during the academic year to find out  and celebrate what schools are already doing that successfully fosters home school parish relationships within their communities. The good practice discovered on these visits would be shared at a review meeting as will any needs expressed via these visits during the year. If you would like to share your school's tips on developing the realtaionships between the school, parents and parishes then  contact us at flm@flm.org.uk  and we'll see if we can arrange a visit sooner rather than later.

Now that the Department of Evangelisation has made significant structural changes the Home School Parish initiative is on hold. (Watch this space!)

We have a superb resource for the 15 plus age group for use in secondary schools and 6th forms. It is a Young Adult Assertiveness Programme from the Family Caring Trust (FCT) called ‘Taking Charge of Your Life’.
Training in the delivery of this material in schools is available and twilight or training day sessions can be arranged for whole school or designated teachers.

The Young Adult Assertiveness Programme
Eight weekly sessions to help young adults, aged fifteen and upwards, to learn the same respectful skills as their parents (if they attend a parenting programme!). This will help reinforce change within the family system. The emphasis is on growth in self confidence, saying ‘no’ to peer pressure and finding fairer, less aggressive ways of dealing with problems. The boxed kit includes a video, two leader’s guides, a pack of twenty five certificates and one copy of the participant’s handbook, Taking Charge of Your Life.

Yorkshire Martyrs Catholic College, Bradford has used this programme: The assertiveness programme was delivered to all sixth form students. Diverse teaching styles were adopted to stimulate and involve the students. This included group work, discussion groups, role play and presentations.

The handbook for students and accompanying video proved to be valuable teaching aids. These made the course easy to deliver and helped to make the teachers piloting the course confident (and assertive!) from the start.

The students thoroughly enjoyed the course and some students, six months on, are still commenting on the valuable opportunity the school provided them with and the learning experience they gained from the course. This really is a programme worth adopting by every school.

Sixth Form

Links with 6th forms are to be forged. The Young Adult Assertiveness programme (see above) would be ideal in this context.

Your Contact: Marjorie Parker  0791 351 5563  www.flm.org.uk is the FLM support worker and schools outreach worker. She is will visit to discuss any aspect of relationship education in your school and can train teachers in the use of any of the above programmes. (Marjorie is also a Registered Director for Rainbows, an international organisation to support bereaved pupils.)

Remember,

"It doesn’t matter how much money we put into education if parents don’t parent." Barack Obama

"When we teach our children we teach our children' children"