Overview of Family Learning

'Family learning' describes a whole range of activities and programmes that involve parents, children and the wider family in learning, often involving children and adults in learning together. Family learning divides into two routes with separate additional aims: route 1 - Wider family learning (WFL), which is seen as a recruitment tool for route 2 - Family literacy language and numeracy (FLLN). Route 3 - this year there are additional funds available to help us improve further our parental engagement. The funding comes from The Department for Education (DfE). This is known as family learning impact funding (FLIF).

Aims of Wider Family Learning

• to raise the attainment and/or achievement of adults
• to promote lifelong learning for the whole family
• to build confidence and attachment
• to provide progression opportunities
• to help involve parents and carers in their children's education and interests, and be better able to support them during and after the course.

Aims of Family Literacy, Language and Numeracy

• to encourage family members to learn together
• to learn as or within a family
• to include opportunities for intergenerational learning
• wherever possible, to lead adults and children to take on further learning by providing information advice and guidance (IAG) - 'nextstep'.

Aims of Family Learning Impact Funding

• extend the reach to involve more families at risk and fathers
• increase the range and responsiveness of the learning offer
• build the capacity of the workforce
• increase the number of parents achieving qualifications and progressing
• secure better progression from wider family learning to family literacy, language and numeracy and other learning
• meet individual needs more effectively, promoting greater coherence with parenting programme

We have funding for the following strands of FLIF and activities can be delivered which link to:

• Financial Capability 30-49 hours & 60-72 hours (FLLN)
• Early Years Foundation Stage 9-13 hours (FLLN )
• Every Child Matters 20hours+ (WFL)

You can access further information and ideas for activities on the Skills for Families website, or you can contact family.learning@surreycc.gov.uk

An example of a flier is attached below for Financial Capability.

Our activities include and fall into the following curriculum categories for 2010/11

You can choose from a wide offer of WFL workshops, which provide progression paths to FLLN, and other learning opportunities.

Our FLLN, WFL and FLIF programmes are working in line with 'every child matters':

• be safe!
• be healthy!
• enjoy and achieve!
• make a positive contribution!
• achieve economic well being!

To find out more about any of these activities, contact family.learning@surreycc.gov.uk