th pm/hl autumn 2011:layout 1… · this latest edition includes parenting updates, training news...

parentmattersIssue 26 September 2011

Nahar Begum tells Government Minister how Tower Hamlets StrengtheningFamilies Strengthening Communities parenting programme supported her

in her role as a parent.

I N S I D E

� Parenting - Early Intervention Project (page 2) � Working Together/Canadian Minister visit (page 3) � Community News (page 5) � Employment (page 5)

� Working with Parents Seminar (page 6) � Parents Advice Centre (page 7)� Sharing Best Practice (pages 8-10)� Professional Development (page 11)

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Parenting Early Intervention Project

In May 2011, the Department for Education (DfE)published its final report on the Parenting EarlyIntervention Project (PEIP). The results from researchcarried out by Warwick University show clear benefits forparents attending. It was found that the programmes wereeffective in improving parenting skills, parent mental well-being and in reducing children’s behaviour difficulties.Positive outcomes were maintained one year on from theend of the programme and, in the long-term, positiveoutcomes in children’s behaviour and wellbeing would beexpected to impact positively on educational attainment.

This supports all the great work that’s been carried out inTower Hamlets. While the number of parents supportedthrough the PEIP varied from fewer than 100 parents perLA to over 500 each year, Tower Hamlets represented thehigher end of the spectrum, attracting over 2,500 mums,dads and carers to more than 200 courses delivered from2007-2011.

Positive features unique to the borough have included thefull commitment from schools and communityorganisations, and the diversity of the workforce trained todeliver the programme.

Access to parenting programmes and support forpractitioners remains a priority within the borough. Forfurther information about parenting programmes andtraining and support for practitioners contact:[email protected] Or the Parent Support Service 020 7364 6398 For a full copy of the report, go to:https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationDetail/Page1/DFE-RR121A

WelcomeWelcome to the autumn edition of the Parents Matter newsletter. This latest edition includes parentingupdates, training news and bestpractice contributions from schools and settings across the borough.

Following service restructure within the local authority the newsletter nowalso includes information from theHealthy Lives and Extended Day teams.

We hope that you enjoy the newformat and find it useful in your work.

Please let us know what you thinkabout the newsletter and give us yoursuggestions for articles by logging ontohttp://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PMhealthylives

KEEP IN TOUCH!This newsletter is produced by theParental Engagement and Healthy Lives Teams Children, Schools andFamilies.To share news in futureeditions of Parents Matter contact: Husna Begum 020 7364 1952 [email protected]

After attending one of theStrengtheningFamiliesStrengtheningCommunities(SFSC) courses inTower Hamlets,Nahar Begum featured on the front cover,agreed to act as a parent representative andambassador for the programme in a meetingarranged by the Race Equality Foundation (REF)with Sarah Teather, Junior Minister for the DfE.

Nahar was then invited to present at the PEIPConference at Warwick University, givingexamples from her own experience as to howSFSC can put the Big Society model intopractice.

Nahar spoke about how the communitycomponent within the SFSC course, delivered inCulloden School, offered information andopportunities to explore community violenceand social exclusion, motivating parents to gainaccess to and use community resources, and tobe advocates for their families and communities.

Parents Speak Out for Strengthening FamiliesStrengthening Communities (SFSC)

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WorkingTogetherShadwell and BiglandChildren's Centres and BlueGate Field Primary schooljoined forces to organise aStrengthening Families,Strengthening Communities(SFSC) parenting course forfathers of children under five.

Family Support Workers, BahrulIslam and Alomgir Ahmed,contacted fathers in the localarea and encouraged them toattend a ‘taster’ session beforecommitting to the 13 weekparenting programme.

The course was rigorous anddemanding, but the fatherswere enthusiastic aboutgaining important newparenting skills. The 10 fatherswho successfully completedthe course found itinformative, exciting andrelevant to the parenting oftheir children.

Muhibur Rahman (A father)commented:"This is the best course Ihave ever attended. I havelearnt so much, I willimplement everything Ihave learnt from thiscourse. It will benefit meand my family".

Deputy Mayor, CouncilorOhid Ahmed attended thegraduation ceremony held atthe Shadwell Children’sCentre and commented:“It is lovely to see fathersattending parentingcourses and impartinggood parenting skillswithin their families andlocal communities; it willimprove outcomes forboth children andparents”.

Baharul Islam and Alomgir Ahmed Family Support Workers

New trainingprogrammefor SFSCfacilitatorDeveloping Effective Practice -Strengthening Families,Strengthening Communities(SFSC).

This new session is for anyonewho has completed the SFSCfacilitator training and wouldlike to refresh or develop theirskills and knowledge of theprogramme, and consider howto tackle some of the problemscommonly encountered indelivering the SFSCprogramme. Further detailscan be found on page 9.

CanadianMinisterVisits Dads’ParentingGroup

On 28 July, the Dad’s PoplarPartnership SFSC group playedhost to the Canadian Ministerfor Children and Youth atAround Poplar Children’sCentre. Yvonne Fritz wasimpressed with theircommitment and said that shetoo had similar issues with herchildren, even though theywere now in their twenties!

CompassCompassTowerHamlets ispart ofthe Primary CarePsychology andCounselling Service. Weare a talking therapyservice providing supportfor people experiencingstress, anxiety ordepression. At CompassTower Hamlets, we arelooking at ways to engagewith the local communitiesto make our service moreaccessible.

Our aim is to:� raise awareness in the

community aboutcommon mental healthproblems and talkingtherapy services

� identify needs and gapsin the community

� identify barriers toaccessing psychologicaltherapies

� develop partnershipswith local communityorganisations

We offer FREE tasterworkshops and courses,including:� Introduction to Mental

Health and EmotionalWellbeing

� Stress and Anxiety� Depression

If you would like toarrange a workshop orrequire furtherinformation, contact:Khaleda Rahman 020 7791 [email protected]

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The Limehouse ProjectThe Department for Children, Schools and Families research ‘Driversand Challenges in Raising the Achievement of Pupils fromBangladeshi, Somali and Turkish Backgrounds’ March 2010highlighted: ‘Parents’ lack of ability to help children with theirhomework because of language difficulties or lack of formaleducation’ and the ‘Isolation of Parents’ as key barriers.

The Limehouse Project currently provides adult literacy classes toparents in eight schools across Tower Hamlets and provides adviceand employment services which enable parents to access welfare,debt, employment and family support through their tutors atschool.

For further information to develop school based family serviceswhich raise the achievement of Bangladeshi and Somali pupilscontact:

Hassan Hoque: Training and Development Manager Contact email: [email protected]

Financial Advice for Families The Money Advice Service was set up by government and is fundedby a levy on the financial services industry.

The service is independent and unbiased – so it won’t recommendany particular products or try to sell anything. It offers clear andunbiased money advice and information to help families make themost of their money by making the right choices, whatever theircircumstances – and it’s free.

For further information, contact:www.moneyadviceservice.org.ukTel: 0300 500 5000 for personalised advice (call rates may vary).

Local voluntary sector agencies in the borough � MyBnk – Money Advice Project – personal appointments and

workshops to discuss money management and budgeting.Tel: 020 7377 8770 or email: [email protected]

� MYMoney Centre, Toynbee Hall 28 Commercial Street, LondonE1 6LS Tel: 020 7392 2959 or email: [email protected]

� Money Balance Project, Bromley By Bow Centre St LeonardsStreet London E3 3BT offer money management workshops orone to one support. Tel: 020 8709 9737 or email: [email protected]

Family Learning FestivalThe Family Learning Festival takes place 15 - 30 October 2011. For information about funactivities for your school/setting, log on towww.campaign-for-learning.org.uk/cfl/flf/index.asp

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Parents, carers and studentshave been served up a tastytreat at Bishop ChallonerCatholic Collegiate School. ACook Club began last Easterand ran for a couple of hoursafter school each week in theSummer Term.

Families of students at BishopChalloner and local primarieswere invited to prepare andcook simple dishes in theschool’s state-of-the-artkitchens.

The aim of the project was toencourage families to learnmore about cooking as well asfor them to take part in apositive activity in conjunctionwith the school.

It proved a great success withthe families. Sonia Dennis,

who attended with daughterRhiana, said: “I heard aboutthe Club through mydaughter who has alwaysbeen interested in cookingand I just thought it was afantastic idea to involve aparent and child."

Sharon Callaghan, who wentalong with daughters Ellie andMaisie, said: “I’ve lovedcoming and we’ve made lotsof new friends. We arelearning and thoroughlyenjoying it.”

Chris Cowie, Parent Support &Engagement Officer, said:“Much of the success of theClub is down to the supportfor family-based activitiesgiven by the school’sPrincipal, Mrs JackieJohnson.”

Cook Club Proves Tasty

Supporting parents into employmentAs part of an ongoing programme to reduce

child poverty, the Parental Engagement Team(PET), in partnership with Smithy St PrimarySchool and John Smith Children’s Centre, heldtwo Support into Employment workshops forlocal families.

The Passport to Learning Programme includesworkshops designed to support parents, reflecton their skills and experiences, identify skillsthat are transferable to the workplace, write aCV and practice completing application forms.

“Many of the parents who attended have beeneconomically inactive for some time and manyhave never been in employment, leading to alack of confidence and parents feeling that theyhave no skills to offer. But running a householdand caring for families involves a multitude oftransferable skills and it’s great to see howquickly confidence grows” said Mary Narkuwah

PET facilitator.

“This was a greatopportunity forparents to getsupport to preparefor work, thesessions wereinformal andfriendly, the tutorasked parents whattype of jobs they were interested in andbrought relevant application forms for practice.The parents really benefited from the 1-1support and advice.” Julie Anderson, a parent from John SmithChildren’s Centre, was encouraged to brush upher CV and apply for jobs, and she successfullyapplied for a Teaching Assistant post in PhoenixSchool and will start in September.

Syeda Pascha- Community InvolvementOfficer, John Smith Children’s Centre

Teacher Doris Stewart withGeorgina Hiscoke, herdaughter Mollyann and SharonCallaghan

Ellie andMaisieCallaghanwith theirmotherSharon

Rhiana andher motherSonia Dennis

CollaborativeWorking to SupportVulnerable Families Working with Parents Seminars (WWP) are organisedtermly for professionals and volunteers working withparents and families in Tower Hamlets. These eventsare themed and aim to provide an opportunity forstaff to explore different aspects of working withparents, share success stories and find out about newopportunities and initiatives.

On Monday 13 June 2011, the Working with ParentsSeminar focused on Collaborative Working to SupportVulnerable Families. The event was attended by 65practitioners and volunteers from the community,statutory sector and local authority.

Contributions included presentations from theIntegrated Pathways and Support Team, FamilyIntervention Project, Marion Richardson School and theParents Advice Centre.

“Information regarding the Family Well-beingModel was really useful and relevant to my work” WWP Participant

“Good all round Professional Development, well organisedopportunity to share ‘real’ practice and learning from others” WWP Participant

For more information about WWP Seminars, contact Husna Begum at:[email protected]

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This is a model for all Childrenand Families Trust partnersincluding health, early years,education, youth, social care,crime and justice, housingservices and any other serviceimpacting on a child or youngperson and/or theirparents/carers.

It sets out in one place theTower Hamlets approach forassessing and responding tofamilies needs.

The following tools, guidanceand support for practitionerscan be found on the Childrenand Families Partnershipwebsite� Interactive decision tree� Indicators of possible need� CAF guidance� Team Around the Child and

Lead Practitioner guidance� Family Services Directory� Social Inclusion Panel (SIP)� Integrated Partnership

Support Team (IPST)� Case studies

All information and guidanceon the model is available on:www.childrenandfamiliestrust.co.uk/family-wellbeing-model/

Information on a newintegrated trainingprogramme, which will helppractitioners to further developskills and knowledge needed todeliver the Family WellbeingModel, is also on the website.

Family Well-being Model

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Parents Advice CentreFor more information on any of the sessions below, please contact: The Parents Advice Centre, 30 Greatorex Street, London E1 5NP. Telephone: 020 7364 6489 or email [email protected].

Telephone advice Monday-Friday 9.00am-5.00pm

Drop-in advice service Every Tuesday during term time9.30am-3.30pm

Educational Psychologist Advice for parents and carers First Tuesday of every month 9.30am-11.30am. Appointment needed

SEN Parents Support Group for parents and carers ofchildren with special educational needs

Every Thursday during term time 10.00am -12.00pm

Bengali Parents Support Group for Bengali speakingparents and carers of children with special educationalneed

First Tuesday of every month 10.00am-12.00pm

ADHD Group. Specialist group for parents of childrenand young people with ADHD

Contact PAC for more information

Dyslexia Parents’ Support Group Contact PAC for more information

PACSEN (Parents and Carers ofChildren with Special Educational Needs)A forum for parents and carers of children with SEN in TowerHamlets. The Forum helps shape policy and practice within theborough and is consulted regularly by statutory authorities.www.PASCEN.org.uk

Special Educational NeedsThe long awaited Green Paper Support and aspiration: A new approach to special educationalneeds and disability was published on March 9th. It is the most wide-ranging review of the areafor over 30 years and proposes a significant revision to the current system.

The Bengali Parents Group which meetsregularly at the PAC were keen tocontribute to the consultation processand during a lively debate they discussedhow the proposed changes might impacton them and their children. They eagerlyawait the DfE response and details of thenext steps which will be published laterthis year.

Do you need a venue to have an event or training session

or would you like a space to run a weekly club?

We have a large, spacious roomwith kitchen facilities and roof terrace

We are situated at30 Greatorex Street, Whitechapel, London, E1 5NP

(next to the Citizen Advice Bureau)Lift access available

Catering available upon request

For enquiries or bookings, please contact Kevin Kimare on 020 7364 6489 or email [email protected]

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Celebrating thesuccess ofParentVolunteers

St Elizabeth School has alwayswelcomed parent volunteersinto the classroom, howeverrecently it was agreed that thebenefits to school and toparents could be greatlyimproved if a more formalapproach was introduced.

The school worked closely withthe Parental Engagement Teamto devise a VolunteerProgramme which involvedtraining for all parents andcarers wishing to volunteer. Aco-ordinated approach tosupport, supervision andprogression was alsointroduced.

Prior to volunteering in school,parents and carers completedthe 11 week Volunteering inYour Child’s School coursewhich introduced parents toschool policy and routine, thecurriculum, reading strategiesand how to develop positiveinteractions with children.

A number of parents whoattended had not studied sinceleaving school and were quitenervous, but they found thecourse was a great confidencebooster.

Since completing the course,parents have been supportingchildren in class, running theschool library and have set upa healthy fruit tuck shop.

School staff showed theirappreciation for the ParentVolunteers by organising anend of term party with lunchand a performance by ThePlayground Choir.

Sue BraniffParent Support PartnerSt Elizabeth’s School

“I really enjoyed this course, Ihave learnt so much whichwill benefit my own childrenand the children in school. Ifeel really confident and can’t wait to startvolunteering"Parent

SupportingParents withChildren withSEN PhoenixSchoolhas a longhistory ofworkingwithparents andencouragingthem to shareand learnnew skills,increasetheirawareness of theopportunities in thecommunity and develop theirconfidence in getting out andabout with their children.

Preeti Chanda the HomeSchool Liaison Officer is key tothis success, and supports arange of opportunities forparents to engage with schooland support their child’slearning.

The Phoenix cooking group isattended by mums and dadswho regularly come into schoolon special occasions and cookdelicious food. The groupencourages social and practicalskills development, andrecently cooked a lovely lunchfor the Friends of Phoenixgroup at a summer eventwhere they made smalljuggling sized bean bags. Thebags were later presented tothe teachers of the early yearsclasses for the children to use.

Parents and children have alsoenjoyed the trips organised tosupport them to visit places ofinterest with their families.Parents and children travelled

by DLR to the Tower ofLondon to take a riverboat trip to Greenwich,shared a picnic inGreenwich Park andvisited theObservatory andenjoyed a coach tripto Woburn Safari

Park inBedfordshire.

Trips can often bedifficult for parentsof children with SENbut after going as agroup supported bythe school parents

felt more confident and likelyto return.

Seema Kapoor (parent)Phoenix School

Sharing Best Practice

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During the summer term 15parents from Marner PrimarySchool completed a six weekcertificated Basic Plumbingcourse. The course aimed togive parents the skills andknowledge to undertakegeneral plumbingmaintenance in the home,and avoid high repair andmaintenance costs.

At the start of the course, themajority of parents had neverundertaken the simplestplumbing tasks, but all werevery keen to learn and havefun along the way.

“The course was hands onand it was great to seemums and dads workingtogether, picking up newskills very quickly. Bysession five, the group’sskills and confidence hadgrown so much that theychanged the hand basin inone of the parent’s homes!”Ahsana Choudhury – HomeSchool Liaison Officer,Marner School

“It has been a lot of funand I have learnt so much”parent

Parents atMarner do DIY!

The IPS (independent parentalsupporter) volunteeringprogramme at the TowerHamlets Parents Advice Centreis now more than half way totraining volunteers to becomeIndependent ParentalSupporters to help support thework of the PAC.

Following an initial recruitmentcampaign, 16 volunteers begana 12 week training course tohelp them understand the workof the PAC, and gain an insightinto the education system, thelaw on special educationalneeds, the statutory process aswell as other areas of work, likeexclusions.

The volunteers will have a staffmentor to offer advice andinformation and provide ongoing support as they developconfidence within their role,and start to work with parentsand family members.

We hope that while volunteersare supporting the PAC, theywill acquire new skills andknowledge that will enablethem to start work or take upother ventures.

We would like to hear fromanyone who would like to bepart of the team and canvolunteer for a minimum ofthree hours per week. Weparticularly welcomeapplications from Somalispeakers and speakers of othercommunity languages.

Our next training programmewill take place in January 2012and we will be sending outapplication packs fromSeptember.

If you would like moreinformation, please contactShahara Khatun or Jenny Milleron 020 7364 6489.

‘I’m currently half waythrough the IPS course. I havelearnt so much about beingan IPS and how I can be ofgreat help in supportingparents through the stages ofa child’s statutory assessmentprocess. It has been funlearning, making friends andit has been very rewarding tobe able to support vulnerableparents’.

‘The course has helped me toraise my confidence and hashelped me to gain knowledgeof a specialist area (SpecialEducational Needs), which Ihad very limited knowledgeof. I can now support otherparents and offer themadvice and information onSEN’.

Sharing Best PracticeIndependent ParentalSupporters

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Families go Fishing!Staff at Arnhem Wharf school are always trying to think ofcreative ways to “catch’’ parents imagination, andencourage mums, dads and children to have fun learningtogether.

A recent fishing trip to Ash Lake, part of the extremelypopular Tylers Common Fishery Complex, was organised inpartnership with George Greens School. 16 children andparents, most of whom had never been fishing before, hadgreat fun by the lake. The weather was fantastic and so wasthe experience for all the families involved.

Nahar RahmanSchool Home Support Worker, Arnhem Wharf Primary School

The Holiday ChildcareSchemesThe Holiday Childcare Schemes (The Play Factory) operatewithin Primary Schools in Tower Hamlets. They are fullyOfsted registered and regulated, and cater for children aged3-11. The schemes run from one to seven weeks(depending on the length of the school holiday) duringevery school holiday, apart from the Christmas break, withits immediate function being affordable childcare forworking parents. Children from non-working parents arealso welcomed onto the scheme, with the council offeringextremely low priced, and heavily subsidised, childcare forparents who fall into this category. The schemes operate astructured activity programme including sports, arts andcrafts and hall games, as well as plenty of access to freeplay.

Contact Belinda Haswell/Suzanne Wright: 020 7364 0523 / 6242 for information about places forOctober half term scheme (Monday 24 October 2011 to Friday 28 October 2011).

AttentionDeficit HyperActivity Disorder(ADHD)

The Brady Centre recently hostedthe ‘Busting the Myths of ADHD’conference for parents, youngpeople and professionals to shareideas and discuss the best way tosupport parents with childrenwho have ADHD.

Parents Karema Bernia and PamMason, who have a childdiagnosed with ADHD, took tothe stage to share theirexperiences of life with a childwith ADHD.

Warren Carling, 17, gave the finaladdress. He shared hisexperiences of school and felt hehad been lucky, with supportiveteachers and an understandingparent to help deal with hisADHD.

Warren now studies at IslingtonCollege. He has also appeared ina number of Televisionprogrammes, films andcommercials and hopes to have asuccessful career in acting.

Delegates agreed that all childrenwith ADHD should haveopportunities and support thatlead to positive outcomes.Conference feedback highlightedthe need for resources, supportgroups and assessment routes inTower Hamlets to meet agrowing understanding of ADHD.

If you would like any informationon the Parent Factor Course forparents of children with ADHDplease contact Maureen Lajolieon 020 7364 6469 Visit www.pacsen.org.uk to findout more about ADHD supportgroups.

Date/Time CourseFriday7 October 2011

9.30am-4.00pm

Working with Resistant/Reluctant Parents/carersThis one day course considers the challenges when working with resistant /reluctant parent/carers and provides opportunities to develop skills, confidenceand knowledge within this area of work

Monday 10 October 20111.00pm-3.15pm

Working With Parents (WWP) Seminar: Parenting Provision in TowerHamlets – support for parents and practitionersA multi-agency forum for improving the exchange of information andincreasing links between organisations and practitioners working with families.

Wednesday 12 October 20119.30am-12.30pm

Working Effectively with Parents and CarersIntegrated working module This course offers an opportunity to consider how services relate to parents /carers and how the additional needs of a child can best be met by working inpartnership to involve parents / carers in Team Around the Child (TAC) and theCommon Assessment Framework (CAF)This course is for practitioners who have completed e-learning modules ortraining on the basics of CAF, Team Around the Child, Lead Practitioner workand the Family Well-being Model

Thursday 3 November 2011 9.00am-4.00pm

Developing Effective Practice - Strengthening Families, StrengtheningCommunities (SFSC) This course offers opportunities to consider how to tackle some of the problemscommonly encountered in delivering the SFSC programme and refreshesknowledge of the following SFSC themes:� Cultural Component� Rites of Passage� Enhancing Relationships� Positive Discipline� Community Involvement This course is suitable for school staff, Parent Support Partners, Social Workers,Health Visitors, Youth Offending Team Workers and anyone who has completedthe SFSC basic training. (You do not need to have delivered a SFSC course)

Tuesday 22 November2011 9.00am-4.00pm

Structured conversations with parents of children with Special EducationalNeeds and Disabilities (SEND)New and improved strategies for engaging parents and carers of children withSEND in their children’s learning and achievement through structuredconversations

Thursday 10 NovemberFriday 11 November2011*9.00am - 3.00pm*participants mustattend both days

Speakeasy – Sex and Relationships Education (SRE) ~ Facilitator Training Coursefor school staff working with parentsSpeakeasy is a course that helps parents to talk to their children about sex,relationships and growing up. This two day training course will support schoolstaff develop skills and knowledge to prepare and deliver a Speakeasy course

For more information about the courses available or to book a place, contact:Husna Begum 020 7364 1952 [email protected] course charge applies to schools that have a service level agreement with the Parent SupportService for 2011-2012. All places will be confirmed 1 week before the course/session. Late or no notice of cancellation may result in a charge to your school or setting.

Professional Development/Training TR

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Kate SmithHead of Healthy Lives

[email protected] 7364 6433

Sultana BegumHealthy Lives Support Officer


Eleanor O’DonohoeHealthy Lives Adviser

eleanor.o’[email protected] 7364 7268

Jade ClarkHealthy Lives Adviser, SRE & Teenage Pregnancy


Laura FlanaganHealthy Lives Adviser, Healthy Eating & PhysicalActivity


Shibbir AhmedHealthy Lives Adviser, Drug & Alcohol Education


3 October - 14 November 2011 Morning

Emotional FirstAid Training -Primary

6 week course to aid detection and increase the initialsupport given to a young person experiencing emotionaldistress – places are very limited

3 October - 14 November 2011 Afternoon

Emotional FirstAid Training -Secondary

6 week course to aid detection and increase the initialsupport given to a young person experiencing emotionaldistress – places are very limited

TBC – Autumn Term Healthy PackedLunch workshop

Practical training for parents and children on healthypacked lunches - places are very limited

10 November 20119.00am-11.30am

School LunchExperience

A session for staff wanting to improve the lunchtimeexperience for pupils in their school. The session will focuson promoting healthy eating, enhancing the lunchenvironment and improving attitudes and behaviour atlunchtime

This training is particularly relevant to Midday MealSupervisors and staff serving or supervising children atlunchtimes

11 November 20119.00am-4.00pm

Drug EducationTraining

This course will help you to plan, deliver and evaluate yourDrug Education provision in your school

7 December 2011School TuckShop Training (Primary Only)

A session for staff keen to establish a healthy tuck shop intheir school

27 January 2011Breakfast ClubTraining

A session for staff wanting to improve breakfast clubprovision at their school

Upcoming Training Dates

The Healthy Lives Team

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“I didn’t realise there wasso much sugar in Capri Sunand Ribena juice drink, alsohow much oil is in a packetof crisps!” (Parentattending session)

"Great! A fun way ofmaking food, I'll try thefruit salad. I'll try to eat lesschocolate, crisps, and lessfizzy drinks." (Pupilattending session)

Six schools across the boroughtook part in the Healthy LivesPacked Lunch Workshop whichwas attended by school staff,parents and pupils to offerideas and encouragementabout healthy packed lunches.

The attendees were split intogroups and given a menu for ahealthy packed lunch. Eachmenu came with ingredientsand instructions on how tocreate a tasty treat for theirchild’s packed lunch.

The pupils and parents madevegetable and chickpeacouscous, avocado hummus,wholemeal sardine sandwiches,bagels with cream cheese andgrapes, mackerel pate andmuch more!

At the end everyone was ableto taste all the dishes andparents and pupils said that itwas definitely easier to create ahealthy and delicious packedlunch once they had seen howeasy it was.

If you would like to host aworkshop at your school forparents and/or pupils, pleasecontact a member of theHealthy Lives Team.

Children's EmotionalHealth and Well Being1 in 10 children and young people aged 5 - 16 suffer froma diagnosable mental health disorder - that is around threechildren in every class.�Between 1 in every 12 and 1 in 15 children and young

people deliberately self-harm and around 25,000 areadmitted to hospital every year due to the severity oftheir injuries

�Nearly 80,000 children and young people suffer fromsevere depression

�Over 8,000 children aged under 10-years-old suffer fromsevere depression

�45% of children in care have a mental health disorder -these are some of the most vulnerable people in oursociety

With children’s health and well being such a major issue,the Healthy Lives Team is working with Southampton CAMHS who have developed an EmotionalFirst Aid training course for professionals working with young people. The aim of this course is tosupport emotional well being in young people. This is running throughout this term and we hopeto follow it with subsequent courses for peer educators, to identify and support their own peers’emotional health and well being.

AS A PRIMARY EMOTIONALFIRST AIDER, YOU CAN:

�PROMOTE POSITIVE EMOTIONAL HEALTH�PROVIDE SUPPORT AND REASSURANCE�ASSIST WITH THE APPROPRIATE ADULT(S) IN THE

CHILD’S LIFE THE ACCESSING OF APPROPRIATESERVICES

�UNDERTAKE RISK ASSESSMENT TO HELP PREVENT HARMTO SELF OR TO/FROM OTHERS

�CREATE A HEALTHY EMOTIONAL ENVIRONMENT WITHTHE CHILD TO FIND STRATEGIES THAT HELP DISSIPATEEMOTIONAL DISTRESS

�LOOK FOR EARLY SIGNS OF EMOTIONAL DISTRESS ANDINTERVENE WHERE APPROPRIATE

�INCREASE YOUR KNOWLEDGE, REDUCE STIGMA ANDINCREASE YOUR SKILL BASE AS A PRIMARY FIRST AIDER

Healthy Packed LunchWorkshop

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One cigarettecontains over 4000 differentchemicals.

Long-termexcessive use ofalcohol causesillnesses such asliver damage,stomach cancerand heartdisease.

Fronter ResourcesWebsite The HealthyLives Team hasdesigned aresourceswebsite tomakeimplementingPSHE and theHealthySchoolsProgramme aseasy andstraightforward as possible.

The online resources are divided by topic area,covering PSHE, SRE, Drugs Education, HealthyEating, Physical Activity, Economic Wellbeing andEmotional Health & Wellbeing. The website offershelp with developing a curriculum; teachingresources, lesson plans and activities; policytemplates and working with parents, staff andpupils; and guidance on all aspects of HealthySchools.

We have had some really fantastic feedback fromschools about how user-friendly and relevant theresources are, and we encourage you to make thisyour first reference point when requiring anyresources to do with these subject areas. Pleasecontact us if you have any resources you feel shouldbe shared, as we are always keen to share bestpractice between schools.

"When I learnt I could go to Fronter, it was soeasy to find what I wanted." Assistant Headteacher: Inclusion, Old Ford

http://webfronter.com/towerhamlets/extended_services/

Advanced HealthySchools Status

(AHSS)There has been a lot of interestamongst schools in the Borough aboutAdvanced Healthy Schools Status and anumber of primary and secondaryschools have already begun the processfor the accreditation of AdvancedHealthy Schools Status (AHSS ). AHSSinvolves a school developing twoprojects which target two differentpriority areas - one Borough-widepriority of obesity and another priorityarea chosen by the school.

The Healthy Lives Team has beencollating data into individual schooldata profiles, to support the school inchoosing their own health target. Thedata profiles include statistics on issuessuch as physical activity levels, toothdecay, free school meal uptake, obesitylevels and drug misuse. All thepaperwork is an absolute minimum inorder to free up schools to spend asmuch time and effort as possible oncarrying out projects that have a realmeasurable impact and change on thehealth and well being of their pupils. Allpaperwork will be loaded onto

Fronter.

SRETraining “The pupils haveresponded well in thelessons. The schemeis at the right leveland also interest levelfor them. The lessonplans are easy tofollow;images/diagrams are clear.”Assistant Headteacher, Old Ford

“I was really surprised how comfortable Ibecame in front of the class after having the1 to 1 session. I think it really helped towatch a session first and talk through howto go about delivering the subsequentsessions.”Year 8 teacher, Central Foundation School

The Healthy Lives Team, NHS East London andCity and the Christopher Winter Project (CWP)are working together to train up teachers todeliver high quality SRE in the classroom.

Nationally only 3% of teachers feel they havereceived adequate training in SRE and thisfigure is reflected locally in evaluations we havecarried out.

Locally, many schools and teachers are veryanxious about delivering SRE and do not feelsufficiently confident. Training up teachers inskills and knowledge to deliver high quality SREhas increased teacher confidence and thereforetheir confidence and willingness to deliver.

Schools receive three supported lessons perteacher. In the first lesson the CWP trainermodels the lesson; in the second lesson theyco-teach; and in the final lesson the teacherdelivers with the CWP trainer observing andgiving feedback. As part of the training,schools receive a scheme of work, lesson plansand resources which can all be adapted to suitthe individual needs of the school.

“Excellent project. The boys can now speakopenly about the topics in a responsible andsensible way without embarrassment.”Year 6 teacher, Harry Gosling Primary

“The children learnt so much and agreedwhat they had been learning was veryuseful. The information given was very clearand the resources enhanced the children’slearning and encouraged questions. Withoutthe project it would have been difficult forme to address these issues.”Year 6 teacher, Wellington Primary

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Lunchtime Experience at St Peters London Docks“Surveys ofour schoollunchtimeshavealwaysbroughtup theissue of thedining experience. Children'sconcerns range from too muchnoise in the lunch hall to adesire to drastically change themenu. As a result, we havechosen to revise our lunchtimeexperience as the school focusfor our Advanced HealthySchools Award.

At St Peter's we want ourchildren to experience the

meal time of an ideal family. Tous, this means sitting downtogether, taking turns servingone another, equal and fairportions, alternating betweenwho has their first choice onmenu options and finally,clearing and wiping down thetable as a team.

We have trained 95% of thechildren (one table at a time)in roles such as serving;clearing plates and dishes;asking for salads, bread, waterand fruit to be passed alongthe table; wiping down thetable and folding the tablecloth when finished. We expectto have the whole junior school

using this service method bythe Autumn half term, withawards going to tables of 12for eating the most fruit andvegetables; having the besttable manners; the best teamwork; and having the mostefficient service. Eventually wewould like to see a St Peter'srestaurant in our new FamilyRoom where the childrendesign the menu, prepare themeals, serve the diners andcharge for the experience!Perhaps even a St Peter'sMasterchef, but one thing at atime...”Alex Stead, Learning Mentor, St Peters London Docks

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“A big thank you to Bigfoot& Healthy Lives. We wouldlove to see you back at StSaviour’s School.”Barry Porter, Head Teacher, St Saviour’s School

The Healthy Lives teamembarked on a project at thestart of the last academic yearto increase knowledge andawareness of alcohol and allrelated issues in primary andsecondary school pupils in LAPs2 and 7. This project wasfunded by ‘You Decide’. The project was a joint piece ofwork between the HealthyLives team and Bigfoot ArtsEducation delivering aperformance and workshops toall the Year 9 pupils at LangdonPark and Swanlea SecondarySchools. This was followed byworkshops and training for 20

specially selected peereducators so they could deliversessions to their peers atschool. The peer educators alsoled and took part in discussionswith Year 5 and 6 pupils inneighbouring schools in whichthey had the chance to discussand explore issues aroundalcohol.

The project has been such asuccess that we are continuingwith it this year.

Many thanks to everyone whohas taken part in the project sofar and for all the extremelypositive feedback.

“The day with year 6yesterday was a greatsuccess. The pupilsengaged very well with theactors and learnt a greatdeal about this importantissue and how to keepthemselves safe. Theinvolvement of secondaryschool students was veryinfluential as well with thepupils.“Joanna Scott, CullodenPrimary School

“Bigfoot left an excellent packof resources after our alcoholawareness session. The childrenhad enjoyed the day so muchthat I felt more activities wouldenable them to share theknowledge that they hadlearnt.

The first activity was to write anacrostic piece using the word‘alcohol’. The childrenpresented their work beautifullyand it really demonstrated howmuch the children had listenedand understood. We thenmoved on to creating postersto encourage others that it wasok to say no and that it wasgood to be confident and makethe right choices.

The posters created a lot oftalking as the children decidedthe best way to show theirwork. Finally, the children wereasked to think about the typeof person they were and usinga selection of statements fromthe pack they chose five thatmost suited them. The childrenthen shared these anddiscussed whether the type ofperson they were would makethem more or less likely to tryalcohol. This was a greatexercise as those children whosaid they might try alcoholcould hear suggestions andreasons from others about whythey should wait or not try it atall.

The three pieces made a greatdisplay in the class that thechildren were really proud ofand that addressed an issuethat is not often discussed.

Thank you to the Healthy Livesteam for offering us this greatopportunity.”

Helen Davies, Yr 6 Teacher,John Scurr Primary School

Peer Led Alcohol Awareness Project

Follow UpWork

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The Fast Food Road Showis an interactive liveexperience from the SchoolFood Trust that aims toincrease students’knowledge of the fast foodindustry, what it does totheir health and improveschool lunch uptake.

Four secondary schools(Stepney Green, CentralFoundation, St Paul's WayTrust and Oakland’s)hosted the Fast Food Roadshow which featured a splitkitchen set, with a junkfood server and a healthyschool chef battling it outto show how they make atypical dish (chicken andchips versus barbequechicken, potato wedgesand coleslaw).

At the start of the showstudents are asked to voteon their preference for fastfood or home cooked foodand again at the end of theshow to determine a shiftin attitude - and there wasa big shift! Schoolsinterested in developingtheir school food shouldcontact the Healthy LivesTeam.

Throughout the last year,eight Tower Hamlets primaryschools have taken part in apilot project aimed atpromoting healthier lifestylesto pupils in Years 4 and 5. Ledby the Healthy Lives Team,each school has identifiedmembers of staff to betrained to deliver fun andinformative six weekprogrammes to groups ofchildren, focusing on healthyeating and physical activity.

Programmes have typicallyinvolved learning aboutbalanced meals, sharing ideasfor healthy snacks, food tasting,cooking healthy dishestogether, playing active games,trying new sports and gettingparents involved in sessions aswell. 227 pupils have benefitedfrom the programme so far.

At Malmesbury Primary School,Lisa LeBlond and Maria Ellis ledsessions for 52 children andparents during lunchtimes andafter school. Children couldn’twait to attend the Healthy LivesClub and their parents wereequally keen; especially whenthey were invited to take partin a fantastic ‘Ready, Steady,Cook’ session!

Staff in all the schools takingpart have clearly seen theimpact of this programme onchildren’s confidence,knowledge and ability to makeinformed healthier choices forthemselves.

Lawdale Junior School involved37 children in their HealthyLives Club at lunchtimes as partof the Healthy Lives ChampionProject. Whilst a fantastic timewas had by children and staff,parents also found theirsessions rewarding, informativeand full of fun. The parentstried new fruit together, learntmore about the school foodpolicy and created healthypacked lunches that they couldthen try making at home.

“I feel much more confidentnow when I talk to mychildren about a variety ofhealthy food and nutrition –having a joint understandingreally helps us talk about ittogether as a family andmake healthier choices.”(Parent attending sessions)

Columbia, Redlands,Manorfield, Holy Family, St Mary & St Michael’s,Malmesbury and Hermitageprimary schools and LawdaleJunior School have beeninvolved in the pilot project.

Some chicken nuggets cancontain as little as 16% meatand the rest is made up ofchicken skin and water.

Healthy LivesChampions

The previous Pupil Led Projectsthat were awarded to schools inJuly 2010 have now come to anend; but many schools havedecided to carry on with theirlunch time clubs, after schoolclubs and various otheractivities as their projects werereally successful in their school.

The Healthy Lives team chose arange of projects last year,which included gardening andcooking clubs, kayaking andtennis clubs, after school clubsand much more!

Thank you for a fantasticresponse, as a great number ofproposals were received thisyear after the postercompetition promoted andadvertised the funding whichwas available. The panel chose19 projects to fund, and theserange from secret gardens tocookery clubs with parents, andcanoeing trips with pupils.

Schools received funding forthese projects in September2011 and will start theirprojects this Autumn term.

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Pupils fromMalmesburyPrimary Schoolwon a “GoldenTicket” to GenesisCinema in StepneyGreen after beingselected as thewinners of aHealthy Livespostercompetition. Therewere lots of entries fromschools throughout theBorough and it was a verydifficult decision deciding on awinner.

The winning posterencouraged pupils across theborough to submit proposalsfor funding of pupil-ledactivities in healthy eating andphysical activity.

The Healthy Borough Fundingallows pupils to design aproject and write a proposalwhich will encourageinvolvement and raiseawareness of healthy eatingand physical activity in theirschool.

The winning students; Ramisa,Fatimah, Yasmine and Fatehafrom Malmesbury PrimarySchool were presented withtheir poster and prize in aspecial assembly. The winningposter was sent to all theschools in the Borough topromote the funding. Wereceived lots of fantasticproject proposals in responseto the great poster the pupilshave designed.

Pupil LedProjects

Pupil Led ProjectPoster Competition

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Recipe Challenge at St Agnes

Pupils from St Agnes Primary School were rewarded for alltheir fantastic work around Healthy Schools by being offeredthe chance of participating in a Recipe Challenge. Pupilssubmitted their healthy recipes to Children’s Contract Services(School Meals) and the two chosen were Beef Casserole withcreamed potatoes and sweet corn followed by Banana andApple “slurp” smoothie.

These recipes were written by Scarlett, Freya and George andappeared on the school menu. The pupils had fun working in thekitchen with the head cook Pauline, chopping up theiringredients, using the big super fast steam / bake ovens and evenexploring the walk in fridge/chiller. Once the food was cookedeveryone got to taste it as well.

Healthy Schools StatusWe have been working with55 schools towardsrenewing their HealthySchools Status and generallysome schools have donesome particularlyoutstanding work aroundhealth and well being.

Examples of these schoolsinclude: St Peters LondonDocks, Old Palace andVirginia.

We are now up to fullstrength as a team andreally look forward toworking with you in thefuture around all aspects ofhealth and well being.

Healthy Schools paperwork hasall been simplified and is muchmore straightforward and lesstime consuming to complete.This gives you more time toachieve real measurablechanges in your school andimprove health and well beingoutcomes for your pupils.

There are 20sachets of sugarin 400ml ofRibena.

There are 18sachets ofsugar in a500ml bottle ofcoke.

Tower Hamlets is ranked sixth nationally for theprevalence of obesity in Reception with 24.6% ofchildren having a weight problem.

Tower Hamlets is ranked third nationally for theprevalence of obesity in Year 6 with 41.3% ofchildren having a weight problem

healthylivesIssue 26 September 2011

St Peter's London Docks New Lunchtime Experience

INSIDE�Healthy Schools Status (HSS)(page 2) �Recipe Challenge at St Agnes(page 2)

�Pupil Led Projects (page 3)�Healthy Lives Champions(page 4)�Peer Led Alcohol Awareness Project(page 5)�SRE Training (page 6)

�St Peter’s London Docks Lunchtime Experience (page 6)�Advanced Healthy Schools Status(page 7)�Fronter Resources Website (page 7)

�Emotional Healthy and Well Being (page 8)�Healthy Packed Lunch Workshop (page 9)�Team Contacts and Training Dates (page 9)

th pm/hl autumn 2011:layout 1… · this latest edition includes parenting updates, training news...

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