National Assembly for Wales

Children, Young People and Education Committee

CYP(4)-06-14 – Paper 2 – Goetre Primary School

Inquiry into Educational Outcomes for Children from Low Income Households

Ann Broadway – Education Family Support Worker.

My name is Ann Broadway and I am the Education Family Support Worker for Goetre Primary School.  The role evolved from the school going from a Infant and Junior Department in 2011 to a Junior School, and whilst the Head teacher knew that she could deal with the Educational Attainment needed for the school the Social and Emotional Issues that were being dealt with on a daily basis would increase dramatically so looked for the employment of such Role.

When I first came in to post, I had been working as a Drugs Officer at a local Substance Misuse Agency in the Merthyr Tydfil area, and had a relationship with some of the parents on the Gurnos Estate, and I do believe that this is what has made my post so successful that Parent’s already trusted me from my previous employment.

I sent a questionnaire out to every parent in the school, asking them what they expected of me as an Education Family Support Worker and it was from there that my job took off.

I built up links with the Community brought in Tutors from the University joined up with our Local Authority Basic Skills Department and set up Training Courses for the Parents which they had requested.

I began with Holistic Therapy Courses, Cookery Classes (using the local community), Basic Skills, Welsh for Beginner’s and also trained Parents myself in substance misuse and the effects that this would have on the home.

During my first year I placed a total of 52 Parent’s on training, and from this a number of the Parent’s have gone on to do College and University Courses.

To date in my role I have engaged with a total of 220 Parents and either made referrals to support services, social services, MIA, Banardos, Drugaid, Life Skills, Life Support Classes and many more.

I also work with children who are currently living in deprivation and poverty and offer these children Life Coaching Sessions and Social & Emotional Lessons which I have named as the “Really Cool Club” (all of which have been really effective).

I also run sessions such as “Bring a Male to School Day”, and this year we had a total of 129 Males attend at Goetre Primary School to engage with their Children in a school environment.  I also deliver a “Grandparent Skill Swap” where I bring in Grandparents who show their grandchildren games they played at school and also memories of their time in education and together we make a memory quilt.

During my time in Goetre I have become the Attendance Champion for the School and I have raised attendance and worked on Lateness for children raising both.  I have drawn up a number of initiatives and this has made a huge impact on Goetre’s attendance reports.

I also work closely with our SEBD class and also our SEN Class children and I have an open door policy for both Parent’s and Children alike.

I offer a number of support sessions to parents and I was instrumental in being the first school in Merthyr Tydfil not only to run a SAP class for children but also for Parents.  This saw behaviour of children who were facing exclusion dramatically change as Parents learning how to deal with the behaviour at home, which was having a positive effect on behaviour in school.

I run a number of trips for our most disadvantaged pupils and parents and look to Community Links in helping support these excursions. 

The list of my work is endless, and I look forward to discussing this further with you and sharing good practice.

Ann Broadway

Education Family Support Worker

Goetre Primary School.