Family programmes
Family literacy and numeracy programmes have proved to be effective in achieving learning gains for parents and children. I have run a number of family programmes helping parents develop their literacy skills.

The school environment
Such programmes are often funded by the Basic Skills Agency (BSA) and are normally run in Primary, rather than Secondary schools. A programme usually runs for about a term and has about ten parents, or carers, with children.

The parents and children will be taught separately, but there will be some lessons where you bring everyone together. A teacher from the school will take the children's class.

Many of the parents who attend the programmes feel safer in a school environment; they wouldn't go to a college. A safe, local class at their kids' school can change their lives. The school is an outreach centre, a community that we build on.

So what's it like working in a school? I like it. Schools run these programmes because they want to involve the parents, but don't forget they are busy places with rules. If you're used to working in an adult education college it can take some adjustment! Once I made myself unpopular by using the teachers' tea caddy. They had bought the stocks out of their hard-earned cash - no one told me!

People who teach children are awesome but they don't work in the same way as adult tutors. One teacher said 'It was such a shock when a student in your class just got up and went out to the toilet. I couldn't believe it!' But I've never met a teacher who didn't eventually love working with the parents.

We are advocates for students who may suffer from low self-esteem. Though they will be learning in a primary school, be aware of their needs which may differ from the children. For example, do you know where the lavatories are? They'll also need adult sized tables and chairs, and access to tea or coffee.

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