Family learning has the potential to reach new adult learners who would not be engaged in any other way and whose ambitions are varied. Angela West Family Learning Coordinator First Campus, University of Wales Newport Tel: newport.ac.uk

1.To identify current family learning provision. 2.To define adult progression from family learning. 3.To review family learning and policy context. 4.To examine family learning and strategic priorities. To explore the concept of embedding family learning within main stream education.

“Supports efforts to raise children’s achievements levels, raises expectations and aspirations of both children and adults, promotes active citizenship and, as the family group is the microcosm of the community, is community capacity building at its best”.

Elaborates the concept of family to include all those engaged in a parenting role, namely ‘mothers and fathers, foster carers and adoptive parents, step-parents, and grandparents…and in some cases, siblings’. Also ‘Local authorities’ in their capacity as ‘corporate parents for children and young people in their care’.

–Develop the skills or knowledge of both the adult and child participants. 1.Help parents/carers to be more active in the support of their children’s learning and development and to understand the impact of that support.

“ For many adult learners a family programme is their first step back into learning since their own school days and one important reason they go along is because they want to offer their child or grandchild support and opportunity; for many children it is the extra motivation they need to re-engage and feel success in learning. Family learning also crosses the separate phases of education, from pre-school to higher education.”

“Self-esteem is more than feeling good about yourself. It is also about being aware of your abilities. It is about who you are, being able to acknowledge positive and negative aspects and still feel good about yourself. It’s about having a positive sense of identity” “ Confidence is a belief in one’s own abilities to do something in a specific situation. This belief includes feeling accepted and on equal terms with others in that situation”.

START: –Informal learning –Entry level courses MOVING ON: –Accredited courses –Higher level courses PROGRESSION TO: –FE/HE –Employment

Progress: within a single programme of learning Achievement: direct and immediate outcome of the programme Progression: happens after the programme

EducationalEconomicPersonalSocial / Collective Other courses. Learning at home. Raised aspirations. Skills. Employment. Qualifications. Placements. Increased confidence. More effective communications. Improved budgeting. Increased confidence. Changes in attitude. Increased choices. Increased tolerance and understanding. Improved health. Improved sense of well-being. Volunteering. Joining groups. Engaging with community activities. Feeling included. Other family learning courses. Supporting children‘s learning. Better relationships with family. Helping at child’s school.

Expresses scope for links with family learning as a ‘broader’ learning element of Adult and Community Learning. The document recognises the range of services within this field that address ‘The needs of learners which might not otherwise be met through more mainstream learning activities’.

Opportunities to identify ‘potential progression routes for adult learners’ are often missed requiring a ‘cultural shift on the part of institutions’ to respond.

Higher education in its current shape offers a viable base in which to accommodate adult returners. 41% of all HE enrolments are for part-time learners. The sector already has diverse learning opportunities for a range of students. However, cohesive approaches to family learning, with a diverse offer of entry and progression routes for adults, are essential to avoid duplication of provision.

MULTIPLE STAKEHOLDERS: “Common interests within family learning would contribute to an ‘economically thriving society’ 1. Learner and their families 2. Employers 3. Government 4. Communities 5. Citizens 6. Education providers Webb Review

PRIMARY DRIVERS: 1. Learner entitlement – informed choice & support mechanisms 2. Employer influence – incentives & mechanisms: employer engagement 3. Skills – economically valuable skills, literacy and numeracy 4. Quality – diverse approach & fundamental requirements 5. Funding – unique & complex arrangements & duplication 6. Reconfiguration – professional boundaries, flexibility & capacity Webb Review 7. Governance – spatial capacity & partnership arrangements

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