Family Skills is a free-to-download 30-hour short course focused on parental/caregiver engagement to improve the literacy skills of reception class pupils with English as an Additional Language (EAL). It aims to increase parental skills and confidence to support their child’s literacy at home. Each core session focuses on a topic such as reading to children, phonics, making the most of bilingualism, learning through play, and understanding primary education in England. Additional sessions include a visit to a local library and a tour of the school. Children attend for part of the sessions, and families are encouraged to do follow-up activities at home.
Family Skills was created and evaluated in a project funded by the Education Endowment Foundation, Unbound Philanthropy and the Bell Foundation delivered in partnership with Campaign for Learning and UCL Institute of Education. The project was independently evaluated by NatCen Social Research. Analysis of the research data indicated that the programme raised literacy levels of children with social care interventions by an additional 4 months.
Family Skills was a 2018 ELTons finalist: “An innovative, high-quality, thorough approach which supports community learning”.