Discover what family learning can do for your school

7 to 15 October is National Family Learning Week 2006. Schools across the country are getting ready to open their doors to the whole family, so everyone can learn and discover together. Parents will be going back to class, children will be sharing talents and teachers will be strengthening relationships with parents and the wider community. The Campaign for Learning would like to invite you and your school to discover the difference family learning can make to people's lives.

As the home of education, schools are perfect venues to host fun and informal family activities to get grandparents, parents, carers and pupils enthusiastic about learning. Many schools already experience the benefits of taking part in this week of discovery, exploration, creativity and enjoyment. For them, Family Learning Week is about more than helping families back into learning. It is about promoting a positive perception of schools, reaching out to families who may normally shy away from school activities and helping parents work with teachers to support children's education right through life: all this from fun events such as Ground Force style make-overs, family sports days, story telling and robot building.

Whether you're going it alone with a family open day or joining forces with other local organisations for a Week long learning extravaganza, Family Learning Week can open new opportunities for your school, local families and the whole community. For ideas, resources, advice and inspiring case studies to help your planning, visit www.familylearningweek.org.uk or call 0870 350 2345 to find out more.

Some Family Learning Week ideas to get you started:

Discovering stories of the school: Have any ex-pupils become famous? When was the school building built? What major local incidents have had an impact on the school? Using the Internet, local libraries and past and current teacher stories families can learn more about their school while they learn essential literacy, numeracy and ITC

Getting creative in the school grounds: Get planting, raking, mowing, weeding and pruning. Inviting families, local business and community groups to help make-over sections of the school grounds can help to boost school spirit and improve its appearance while everyone learns gardening skills to take into the community and their own homes.

Creating works of art in the classrooms: Finger painting, bubble prints and egg box animals with the little ones. Family portraits, computer graphics and stone carvings for older children. Getting creative in the classroom can help bring out the artist in everyone while introducing new skills and refreshing old ones - and everyone will have something to take home to inspire them to continue learning.

Bring a parent back to class: Invite mums to maths lessons, fathers to French and grandparents to Geography. Take your family to school days not only rejuvenate a love of learning in the adults who attend but help parents and carers understand how school has changed, what and how children are learning today.

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This newsletter is sponsored by
Select Education, the 'Number One Education
Staffing Agency' in the UK and worldwide.
www.selecteducation.co.uk