Would you be interested in this?

[freerangeeggs]

I'm thinking about running a short course (two or three weeks, maybe) at my school to give parents tips on how best to support their kids.

I was thinking about giving basic information about the curriculum as well as more general advice on helping students with issues such as time management and independent study.

I thought it might also be a good opportunity for parents to meet one another, share experiences and network.

Initially the plan is to base it on Key Stage 3, and until I had obtained proper feedback and plenty of experience I would run it in school as a free course.

WDYT? Would you attend, and if so, what sort of information you like to be given?

Thanks!

I've run similar in primary and find the parents who attend are the ones who really don't need to and the ones you want to "target" never turn up.

It's a bit late for me ,DC in yr 13 ,but I would have loved it !
Just because I'm an interested ,concerned parent ,doesn't mean that I don't need support and information .
IME any support and help (tho do understand reasons )is directed at groups such as those for whom english is not first language ,or those who have low attendence or whose children are disruptive .And my particular bug bear - those who are really at danger of not getting a C grade at GCSE level .
My DC struggles - but is not disruptive or apparently struggling enough to fall into a category that can be targetted for help .

Our Dc is an only ,as parents we are in our 60's ( yes really ! ) so much has changed and I feel so isolated and out of the loop .

Sorry - touched a nerve there - rant over !

And while you're planning can you organise a days seminar on the whole University thing ?
Everything I know I've gleaned from hanging around on internet forums ,and some of the info ( like need to attend open days in yr12 ) is frankly too late .
And how are the students expected to make choices about courses ?
I've even suggested to the revision running company Justin Craig that they run a couple of days for yr12 students on choosing courses ,looking at Uni's ,writing PS etc .
Not every child attends a fantastically geared up independent school with lashings of help .

Sorry - what would I like to know ?
Firstly - school staff structure ,who does a parent talk to about what ?
What are the individual responsibilties held by staff ?
And then ,in no particular order
how is progress tracked ,what's involved - not just a mention on a school calendar about AP 1 .How will the information get back to the parent ?

Some explanation about levels and targets - I don't know enough to be able to form the correct questions .

Yes ,some info about the curriculum .
Some info about GCSE testing - I simply could not get my head round all the individual module/unit tests in Science .( not like that in my day emoticon )

Lots of info I think about Science GCSE and this whole triple ,double ,higher foundation carry on .
And yes - study skills ,time management , where to go for help if these seem to be weaknesses .

Don't know if that's any help ,maybe I'm atypical not knowing all these things .

No, you're not atypical. I'm a teacher and I was bogged down with all the modules for Science when my dd was in Years 9-11 (they start doing GCSEs in Year 9).

It would be helpful (I think) if parents understood the regulations for coursework and controlled assessments. It probably needs reinforcing that pupils still need to do independent work (despite what their dcs might tell them).

I find most pupils and their parents (and some teachers) don't understand what targets grades actually mean. If they're given FFT targets, are they on track to achieve them? What's the difference between a predicted grade and an aspirational grade (or whatever your school chooses to call them)?

You could give them hand-outs of all the useful websites out there. Although some written guides are helpful (eg. Letts), I find some parents spend a fortune on them, when the information is already on the web or in textbooks (if they have them). Many revision guides stay on bookshelves and are still pristine after the exams. URLs of the relevant exam boards might be helpful. Point out that parents can download specimen assessments and examiners' reports.

Yes - that info about examining bodies etc would have saved me hours ,tho I did freeze when I saw the bit about legacy exams .
And I never have worked out what FFT is ,I always think of it in my head as Fisher Price .
As far as I can glean it's incredibly complicated ,and I think I gave up when I gathered ( maybe wrongly ) that it included soemthing about social class based on your postcode .Or have I dreamt that ?

Your idea sounds similar to the Family Learning (FL)courses - whereby a qualified adult FL tutor goes into schools (Early years, primary & secondary) and deliver these courses embedding ESOL, literacy, numeracy, ICT etc.

The parents are targeted based on child's year group and those needing specific support e.g. EAL learners.

Course run between 6 (short) to 10 weeks and could be on average 2-4 hours a week. Parents will receive structured classes to improve their literacy skills etc and will also spend an hour a week working with their child (e.g. Science lesson at secondary or learning fun things to do at home to help their child). Here the school?s teacher takes the class but will be supported by the adult tutor. Although the course is part of the adult curriculum it is tailored to in cooperate education (requirements of school, homework etc) and other topics.

From experience these courses are well attended and normally demands for future classes are high. All that said It depends on your target group and the dynamics of the school. If you want more information I'll be happy to help!

"I've run similar in primary and find the parents who attend are the ones who really don't need to and the ones you want to "target" never turn up."

God, yes. A bit like parents' evening!

I am not really certain why parents would need to know about fft.

The initials FFT were on a report about my Dc shown to me by the school .
So I wondered what the FFT stood for and what it meant .
Pesky parents !