Home, school and community links
It is clear from both the national evaluation project and the local authorities' own evaluations that one of the main contributors to the success of early intervention has been the increased involvement of home and the community in the children's education.
There have been a large number of home-school projects, from traditional homework to the use of books, with parents working in workshops with each other and with staff.
This section attempts to give a flavour of some of these projects. This has been one of the more prolific areas of early intervention. A great deal of material has been created to help parents: not only print publications but also parent training workshops.
Working with parents
Supporting Literacy in the Home
North Lanarkshire Council's practical manual for staff includes advice, materials, homework materials and workshop activities. This extract explains the purposes and objectives of the manual.
Parent Workshop
Extract from North Lanarkshire Council's 'Supporting Literacy in the Home', with sample material from a possible parent workshop experience.
Parent Workshop
Sound file from North Lanarkshire Council's video production 'Early Intervention in North Lanarkshire', indicating the scope of the parent workshops undertaken by the authority in its project 'Working with Parents'.
North Lanarkshire has also produced other video and written material.
Parents - The First Teachers
Dundee City Council's booklet gives advice and guidance to parents regarding how they might assist their children's learning at both the pre-school stage and after their children have started school.
Working with Parents
Aberdeenshire Council's publication giving advice to schools on working with parents to assist the education of their children. Extract with sample pages and a selection of the helpful appendices.
Advice to Parents
Fife Council's general advice for parents. Fife Council have involved parents closely in the early intervention programme.
Sending Books Home
Stirling Council's publication 'A Celebration of Early Literacy' gives a detailed insight into the strategies they employed to improve the level of literacy in the early years. Extract is about the use that can be made of sending books home and how parents should be involved in that project.
Parent leaflets and booklets
Some areas have produced series of leaflets and booklets for parents to inform them either of what is going on in the field of early education or what they might do to get involved.
Literacy Activities
Angus Council leaflet from a set providing literacy activities for parents to do with their children.
Mathematics Activities
Angus Council mathematics activities.
Home-School Liaison Leaflet
Clackmannanshire Council leaflet informing parents of the result of the evaluation of the pilot project involving home-school liaison officers.
Home-School Liaison Report
Extract from Clackmannanshire Council report on the effectiveness of home-school liaison work in Clackmannanshire.
Mathematics Leaflets
Dumfries and Galloway Council example from a series of leaflets to assist parents in making use of the environment to look at mathematics activities with their children.
Parent Responsibility
Falkirk Council leaflet for parents that seeks to inform the parents of the six main principles underlying their position when they are assisting to raise the levels of achievement of their children in reading, writing and maths.
Pick up a Pencil
South Lanarkshire Council parent package gives advice to parents on helping their children begin the process of writing.
Learning is Fun
Sample of Fife Council's set of booklets of information for parents entitled 'Number is Fun', 'Writing is Fun' and 'Reading is Fun'. These give information and guidance to parents in those areas.
Home Link Teacher
Although not directly material for parents, the attached leaflet from Shetland Islands Council contains information about the services that are available from a home link teacher.
Home-School Link Teacher
Case study report by one of Falkirk Council Education Services' home-school link teachers. Gives a detailed summary of the teacher's communications, etc., with one of the many families she dealt with.
Speech
Perth and Kinross's 'Blether Bag' initiative is conducted as part of the speech and language aspect of early education.
Soft Start - Shared Start
Fife Council project seeking to involve parents in the settling of their children into school and into schoolwork. The 'soft start' aspect is intended to relax the children so that they are more ready to learn. Extracts from the booklet 'Soft Start - Shared Start' produced by Fife as part of the Stepping Stones project.
Reading Recovery
Leaflet from North Lanarkshire Council informing parents of the meaning of 'reading recovery' and what they might do to assist the process. North Lanarkshire Council has the only Reading Recovery-trained tutor in Scotland and is the only authority who can train interested staff. North Lanarkshire involves its parents in this programme, which seeks to assist children who are having reading difficulties.
Home and school in partnership
SHIP Project: Parent Leaflet
Inverclyde Council produced a large amount of colourful material to support the School and Home In Partnership project (SHIP). This project was initiated because a high priority was put on involving parents in their children's education.
SHIP Project: Additional Ways to Involve Parents
Advice given to schools on how to involve parents.
SHIP Project: Helping with Time
A sample letter indicating to parents how they might assist their children in learning about the clock and telling the time.
Helping Parents Read with their Children
North Ayrshire Council leaflet giving parents simple advice to help them read with their children.
Helping with Number
North Ayrshire Council leaflet giving parents simple advice to assist them in helping their children with number work.