Family Learning - Print version

What is the family learning programme?

Our Family Learning provision promotes strong, positive relationships within families, enabling parents and carers to support their children’s learning and development.

Our vibrant range of programmes are designed specifically for families and provide an excellent opportunity to meet other people with children of a similar age to share ideas and experiences.

Sessions are always free, and open to all parents / carers of children aged 0-11, whatever their experience or ability. The Family Learning team are all qualified teachers with recent and relevant school experience, each holding a current DBS disclosure.

Our courses are not accredited (so no assessments or exams), and usually last for 2 hours per week, over five or ten weeks. You will get a certificate of completion at the end of a group.  We spend time in sessions demonstrating and making inexpensive games to make learning fun and provide free resources for families to use at home with their children.

Family Learning sessions take place in schools, family hubs, and community venues across the city. See the following pages for a quick overview of the available courses.

For more information on these courses, please call Kate on 024 7697 8730 or email aeslifeskills@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:aeslifeskills@coventry.gov.uk]

To enrol, please visit our online enrolment portal [https://adulteducation.a365hosted.com/PSWebEnrolment/webenrolment.aspx?page=~/webcontrols/searchnewCC.ascx] and click on the family learning tile.

Maths & English in the Primary School (Adults only)

This course helps parents and carers to understand how these subjects are taught in Modern British Primary Schools. You will learn the maths methods, words and activities used in Coventry schools to support your child’s learning. You will practice the correct phonics sounds and explore ways to help your child with reading. There is also a focus on the grammar, spelling and handwriting taught in English primary schools. Each week you will be given fun games to take home and play with your children. There is an online pre-recorded version of this course if you cannot attend a face-to-face course.

‘I felt really comfortable. The maths was easy to understand. The great games didn’t feel like homework at all’

‘The games have helped make phonics fun. I am amazed by how much my son can do!’

Positive Family Foundations (Adults only)

A nurture-based, practical advice programme providing insight on how children interact with their carers and what children need to thrive.  This evidence-based approach can help parents / carers cope with challenging behaviour and understand more about children’s development.  Techniques such as Emotion Coaching are covered to encourage parents to understand how they can calmly and positively influence behaviour. We offer two programmes – one for parents with children aged 0-10 years old, and one for parents with children aged 11 plus. There is an online pre-recorded version of this course if you cannot attend a face-to-face course.

‘It was great to listen to other parents. There were lots of ideas on the course - I found the section on Emotion Coaching really helped at home.’

‘50 Things to Do Before You’re Five’ (adults and their children aged 0-5)

Stay and play sessions for parents and their pre-school aged children which provide resources to encourage understanding of children’s learning and development. A range of fun, free and affordable ideas and activities inspired by the ’50 Things to Do Before You’re Five’ app [https://coventry.50thingstodo.org/]:

‘We love the activities and atmosphere on this course, and the ideas which we use at home.”

Baby Massage – (parents and carers with a baby aged from 6 weeks to 6 months - pre-crawlers)

Simple massage techniques to use with your baby while in the group and at home. Baby massage is proven to help to ease your baby’s colic pain, stimulate positive brain activity, strengthen attachment and help with sleep patterns of both baby and parents.

‘It was lovely, relaxed and a little magical -   I felt chilled myself when it had finished’