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Community Focused Schools. It takes a whole village to educate a child. Healthy Schools Co-ordinator’s Meeting 15 th , February 2006. Community Focused Schools.
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Community Focused Schools It takes a whole village to educate a child. Healthy Schools Co-ordinator’s Meeting 15th, February 2006
Community Focused Schools ‘A community focused school is a school that recognise’s that it cannot work alone in helping children and young people to achieve theirpotential, and therefore decides to work inpartnership with other agencies that have an interest in outcomes for young people, and with the local community. In doing so, it aims to meet not only the school’s objectives but also to share in helping to meet the wider needs of children, young people, families and the wider community.’ DFeS draft 2004
WAG Core Aims for children at heart of C.F.Schools • Flying Start in Life Educational Opportunities for all Health Play, leisure, sporting and cultural activities. Respected and listened to. Safe at home and in the community. Not disadvantaged by poverty.
The Territory of Community Focused Schools • A Community focused school works at three levels: extended activities, an extended school into the community, and part of a local strategy for meeting need. • Community focused schools work across the domains of learning, social, health needs. • Community focused schools work for three groups: pupils, families, communities. • Economic domain – not to be disadvantagedby poverty and increasing employability.
Characteristics of a community focused school • Views working with its community as a vital element in raising the standards of pupil’s achievement. • Builds partnerships with other organisations that are in the community and contribute to meeting the wider needs of young people, families and communities. • Works towards creating communities of lifelong learners. • Helps strengthen its community through providing opportunities for lifelong learning, personal development, and the pursuit of sporting, cultural and artistic opportunities • Serves the families of pupils as well as the local businesses, voluntary groups and individuals who work or live in the schools community.
Areas of Activity • Health Services- Meet and Eat • Parental involvement- Families Matter • Out of school hours learning- fishing club • School in the Community • Community in the School- Job Centre • Links with Business- mentoring, sponsorship • Childcare- creche provision • Family Learning-Family Learning Days • Lifelong Learning- Silver Surfers • Citizenship- volunteering
Key Objectives • To raise standards of achievement for pupils and improve life chances of children and young people. • To meet the wider needs of children, young people and adults in the community through a range of services and programmes • To establish strong partnerships to that will lead to the development of the community focused dimension of schools • To promote services working together to meet the needs of the community
contd… • To consult with children, young people and adults in order to achieve a provision that will reflect the identified needs of all learners. • To monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the provision • To create a climate for learning that is inclusive and appropriate to the needs of all learners • To create inclusive communities by working with others
Benefits for children, young people, schools • Higher achievement • Increased motivation, self esteem, sense of belonging and emotional well- being. • Improvements in health • Meeting the needs of vulnerable, at risk and in need children, and Looked After Children. • Easier access to specialist support services. • With health and social services working closer with schools, school staff can refer more easily children’s non-educational needs to specialists. This enables teachers and other school staff to focus on their main school roles. • Parenting courses involving parents/carers and young people.
Benefits for families and communities • Access to childcare, parenting support, improvements in social skills and behaviour within families, greater involvement in children’s learning and better relationships with schools, access to specialist support for families, adult and family learning, better access to essential services like health, improved availability to sport, arts and cultural facilities, more career development opportunities and improved community safety.
Health Services • Walking for Health • TIME4U • Families Matter Programme • Meet and Eat Club • Sharks Project • Community Health Needs Assessment
Role of Community Focused School Co-ordinator • To raise pupil achievement and work with a management board to develop a strategy for the development of CFS’s • To work within and with schools, local groups and organisations to assess and plan local community learning needs • To develop partnerships with a range of local community organisations that will lead to developing the community focused dimension of schools and meeting the needs of learners • To monitor and evaluate the programme • Develop innovative programmes that will add value to the work of schools and the community