3. Time for reflection and evaluation

3.1 About 25 pupils attended the Family Club regularly with one or both parents and a further, varying, 10 to 20 pupils, depending on the programme for the night. So far, everything has been described in glowing terms, but the reality is that, as with all new initiatives we undertake, there are always also some teething problems. The best strategy is to look on these problems as positive growth points rather than as barriers! Our growth points were:

	After the initial pilot programme, staff felt that ground rules should be established and outlined right at the beginning of any new session. Some parents felt that there were others who did not interact with their children enough but spent their time in the computer suite. Tact was called for to turn them from carrying out suggestions of 'just tell them to play with their children' towards putting 'gentle hint' posters on the walls.
	There were siblings of early secondary school age who could not be left in the house on their own. Sometimes this meant that parents would not be able to attend. We made a virtue out of necessity by enlisting these older siblings as helpers.
	We were also perhaps not as alert as we might have been to what comprised really positive publicity. The second session was advertised through posters and leaflets (see Picture F, inside page) but we realise now that its launch lacked a certain 'magic'.
	Most importantly, one of the key aims for the second year was that parents should take responsibility for organising the activities. On reflection, we were too ambitious. We forgot to take little steps and tried to take one giant one. It did not work.

3.2 So where do we go from here? Funding has been obtained for the club to continue for a third year. Keeping in mind the pupil comment that "It's too good to stop", we have to begin to look at ways of making the Family Club sustainable and self-supporting beyond this session. Little steps rather than giant strides will be the way forward this time. While increasing the membership would also be positive, the present attendance levels allow for greater informality and better and more personal communication between the participants and staff.

	Parents do have to take more responsibility but this will have to be guided and supported until they feel confident enough to tackle it on their own.
	Funding will be an issue in the future and now is the time to look at possible sponsorship and other forms of funding.
	A formal first night and focused advertising of the events on offer will be back on the agenda this year.
	We are trying to include our nursery in school activities so we are going to include this group in our family club this year - activities and resources must also, therefore, enable the full participation of very young pupils and their parents.

3.3 Do we feel we have 'arrived'? Of course not! Encouraging parental involvement is a long-term commitment and the Family Club, although an outstanding success, is only part of a whole programme of initiatives we are undertaking. Last year we introduced 'story sacks' to the nursery in the belief that if we could involve the parents in learning with their children from an early age, this ethos of partnership working would continue in the primary. Despite problems with industrial action affecting some staff and the working of the nursery, a small group of parents gave a lot of their time to make the sacks, match books and games and help get the sacks completed for use in the last term of the session (see picture G).

Do the children like them? They love them and so do the parents (see Picture H)! In the first term of this session we have continued to use them in Primary 1, so providing a link between nursery and primary. The parents give the sacks out, keep records and collect them back in, checking the contents for missing or worn items. The benefits are recognisable even now - we have a group of parents who are confident about coming into school and about discussing any issue with staff (see Picture I). Next term this initiative will progress when we introduce maths games for the children to play with their parents in the classroom and then to take home to continue the fun.

3.4 With the help of Children in Need funding we are creating a garden (see Picture B) and picnic area in the school grounds and increasing the number of big games we have in the playground. We will be looking for parental help to build our garden and to keep an eye on it during the holidays!

3.5 We feel that by involving ourselves in these initiatives we are sending the message that, not only are the children themselves valued in their lives at school, their families and their well-being together at home are also appreciated and seen as vitally important. Positive encouragement for everyone to be involved in a child's education underpins all our undertakings and leads to an atmosphere of achievement and optimism that is apparent in our raised attainment and successes within the community.