Our Family Help Offer

Meadowside is a caring, nurturing school and we fully understand that family life does not always run smoothly. We recognise that from time to time you may need a little extra support or help.

We are committed to the safeguarding of all our children.  The purpose of our Family Help Offer is to provide the right kind of support for families at the right time, to achieve change that lasts: Making a difference to your here and now, as well as your family’s future.

We can help you to identify any problems quickly and work with you to prevent the problem reaching crisis point.

There are many ways in which we can support you so, if ever things are not right at home, do come and talk to us.  We aim to provide support that considers the needs of the whole family.

Family Help…

  • is for children of all ages and not just the very young,
  • can be very effective in supporting a child, young person and/or their family to step down from statutory services as well as preventing the escalation of issues.
  • is important because there is clear evidence that it results in better outcomes for children.

 

Family Help in Gloucestershire

The vision of all partner organisations working with children and families in Gloucestershire, is to improve children’s lives by working collaboratively to raise aspirations, build achievement and protect the most vulnerable.

This is based on the belief that:

  • Children, young people and families develop resilience if there are protective factors in place such as: a positive relationship with an adult; good literacy and communication skills; good school attendance; and parents in or actively seeking/ready for work
  • Children’s needs are best met when help is offered in a universal setting within a socially mixed group and early on when problems start to emerge
  • Children and young people’s needs are best met when addressed in the context of the whole family, meaning that parents/carers/siblings’ needs are addressed with consent as part of a holistic and integrated Family Help response

Family Help services should support and strengthen families so that they can thrive.

The Role of School

Day to Day Support

Most families, most of the time, can get on with their lives quite happily with little or no outside help. If they need help it is usually provided by universal services, such as schools and our new family hubs.

Focused Pastoral Support

All families can have times, however, when difficulties arise and they either may not recognise it or may not know how to start putting things right. Schools play a role in supporting families to address these difficulties through more focused pastoral support, which might include bringing in support via an external agency.

Family Help Assessment

For those children and families whose needs and circumstances make them more vulnerable, or where schools need the support of other agencies to meet the needs of the family, a coordinated multi-agency approach is usually best. In Gloucestershire, this is achieved through undertaking a Family Help Assessment and assigning a Lead Practitioner to work closely with the family to ensure they receive the support they require. Schools should be a key partner in any multi-agency work to support families

The following four commitments are the core elements to Meadowside Primary School’s Family Help Offer.

By implementing these commitments Meadowside aims to ensure:

  • Pupils, parent/carers and staff are clear on the Family Help support available through the school
  • Clarity for partners, supporting improved multi-agency working
  • Delivery approaches of Family Help support for more vulnerable families are up to date with local offers
  • Commitment to the personal development and well-being strand of the Ofsted Framework

The following lists show what Family Help Support is available here at Meadowside Primary School:

Attendance

Primary Offer

 

  • Friday Fortnightly updates celebrating best class attendance.
  • Regular reporting to home on attendance data eg interim reports and school reports
  • Attendance data is monitored by Attendance Champion alongside SLT
  • Attendance Network Meetings with other schools
  • Regular reporting to Governors around attendance
  • ‘Lates’ phone calls and letters home
  • Letters home at 95% attendance, followed up by warning letters
  • Pastoral support front door team support monitoring lates and liaise with families around attendance concerns
  • Home visits
  • Careful and considered responses to requests for absence. Thresholds are high.

Measurable outcomes across key stages:

  • Overall and individual pupil attendance improves
  • Improvement in PA (Persistent Absence) data
  • Reduction in number of leave of absence request
  • Reduction in number of penalty notices issues
  • Lateness data shows reduction in number of interventions

Whole school targets are met

 

Transition

Primary Offer

  • Extra visits / induction for vulnerable students to their new secondary school
  • Regular meetings and host visits with staff from new school
  • TAF/TAC meetings with for vulnerable pupils in the Early Years Foundation Stage before entry to school
  • School events eg Whole school picnic
  • Stay and Play sessions
  • Induction Days
  • My Plans and other records passed from school to school
  • DSL, SENCO and pastoral meetings regarding children to ensure tight transferring of information
  • Parent support and advice offered in bespoke meetings
  • Early Help Coordinator invites to summer holiday nominations for children who struggle with transition (selected secondary schools only)
  • Transition programme with designated link teachers e.g. for pupils with special educational needs or disability
  • Visits for prospective families
  • Work with key partners/professionals
  • Detailed ATS support for children with an EHCP

Measurable outcomes across key stages

  • Pupils obtain a place at their chosen school
  • Support for families with appeals
  • Family needs are met whilst awaiting placements

 

Social, Emotional and Mental Health Needs

Primary Offer

  • Qualified Mental Health First Aiders (K Wilkes, J Stevens and V Whitlock)
  • Qualified Senior Mental Health Lead (V Whitlock)
  • All staff are trained in Emotion Coaching
  • Bereavement trained staff and counselling also available through a referral process for external support
  • Thrive trained practitioners * see below for detail regarding Thrive
  • Elsa (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant) trained staff
  • Young Minds Matter partnership programme * see below for detail regarding YMM Referrals to CAMHS (Children, Adolescent Mental Health Service)
  • Referrals to Educational Psychology Service
  • Requests for Family Support worker for a variety of mental health needs
  • In house counselling (Silver Cloud) using therapeutic play techniques
  • Lego interventions
  • Pastoral Support team and front door support
  • Staff training in dyslexia, ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), ASD (Autism)
  • Access to Virtual School Team for Looked after Children
  • Supervision for school staff
  • OPAL play beginning soon
  • Outreach work with SANDMAT
  • Spring Centre opportunities
  • Quarry Chapel creative workshops
  • EBSA mentoring
  • Young Carers

Measurable outcomes across key stages:

  • Pupils academic data shows improvement
  • Reduction in number of safeguarding disclosures
  • Reduction in number of both high and low level behaviour incidents
  • Increase in pupils self-help skills
  • Few if any fixed term exclusions
  • Assessments show that social, emotional, mental health needs are met e.g. SDQ’s , self image profiles, online pupils surveys

What is Thrive?

  • Thrive is a therapeutic approach to help support children with their emotional and social development. This is delivered through 1:1 or small group intervention.
  • The Thrive approach is informed by established developments in neuroscientific research.
  • It is underpinned by a theoretical base in child development theory and attachment theory.
  • At its heart is the understanding that all children’s behaviour represents a form of communication – of their underlying needs. If these needs are recognised and met, children and young people will be able to flourish and learn’- THRIVE
  • What is Young Minds Matter (YMM)? (supported by the Trailblazer Programme). This intervention connects services in school with NHS support. It is intended to provide early intervention on some mental health and emotional wellbeing issues, such as mild to moderate anxiety. 

 

Staying Safe

Primary Offer

  • Relevant policies and procedures e.g. Safeguarding, Child Protection, Special Educational Needs and Disability
  • Anti-Bullying, GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) in place
  • GHLL (Gloucestershire Healthy Living and Learning) support and courses offered and attendence
  • Advisory Teaching Service (ATS) support and advice
  • Five ways to wellbeing approach for good mental health and well-being
  • Zones of Regulation whole school approach to help regulate amd identify feelings and emotions
  • Mindfulness
  • Children’s Mental Health First Aid resources
  • Nav Hub referrals for support and signposting eg Active Glos
  • Yes mentoring service referrals
  • Young Glos referrals
  • Advice point for signposting to certain services
  • Regular Early Help Peer group support meetings
  • Diversity Team and School Council
  • Assemblies on themes around staying safe e.g. ‘Stranger Danger’ ‘Anti-bullying’
  • Care plans for vulnerable pupils and individual healthcare plans for pupils with medical needs regularly monitored and reviewed
  • ‘Bikeability’ programme for road safety
  • Goals Beyond Grass for those unable to ride on two wheels)
  • Fully risk assessed school trips
  • Personal risk assessments for vulnerable pupils
  • Access to support for families living with domestic violence (GDAS)
  • Access to support for families living with alcohol or drugs abuse (EHCO)
  • E-safety policy and procedures and filtering system
  • Visits to local events eg In The Net
  • Home visits for families of children starting Reception
  • Year 6 buddy system and Play Maker initiatives
  • Leadership responsibilities for our older children eg digital leaders house captains librarians, tidy team
  • Link PCSO (Police Community Support Officer) and any initiatives eg school beat and mini police budget dependent
  • Parent workshops and coffee mornings with visiting speakers eg Police Cybercrime unit, Educational Psychologists, Triple P parent sessions
  • PEP (Personal Education Plan) and LAC (Looked After Children) review meetings led by designated safeguarding teacher
  • PSHE curriculum using PINK curriculum and Coram Life Education
  • Prevent issues awareness and training for concerns around radicalisation
  • FGM (Female Genital Mutilation), CSE (Child Sexual exploitation) awareness and training
  • School nurse drop-ins and referrals
  • Tracking, recording and analysis of incidents e.g. through CPOMS
  • Whole school safeguarding training and advanced training for DSL/DDSL’s
  • Regular quizzes for ALL staff and data collected, following the reading of up to date legislations and safeguarding material/updates

Measurable outcomes across key stages:

 

  • Greater awareness of bullying within the community and a zero tolerance approach to bullying incidents
  • Increase in turn-over of families accessing Social Services /
  • Family Support Worker
  • Welfare and neglect issues on Social Services caseload is reduced
  • All staff have signed and are adhering to the AUP (Acceptable User Policy)
  • Quality displays evidence pupils’ new learning and promote ‘resilience’, vocabulary, school drivers
  • An increasing percentage of parental engagement
  • An up-to-date rolling programme of CPD (Continued Professional Development) in relation to Safeguarding / Training for all staf

Supporting Families

Primary Offer

  • Bereavement counselling
  • Family Hub menu eg The Beacon Centre Kingsway
  • Spring Centre partnership
  • Induction meeting with Head of Inclusion/EHCO to assess further signposting eg Family Support/Early Help
  • Curriculum days / evenings. Topic Shine Events
  • Support for form completion including financial support and housing/DLA etc
  • Quedgeley Community Pantry Support
  • Food Vouchers and HAF scheme
  • Pre-loved uniform
  • Home visits for families with children starting nursery
  • Parents evenings
  • Pastoral support from pastoral team
  • SEND support for families of children with special educational needs or disability
  • Access to SENDIASS (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information Advice Support Service)
  • Signposting to external agencies and training
  • Parenting Courses to help deal with difficult behaviours in the home
  • Signposting eg Family Support Workshops led by Family Support Worker. This may include: Barnardo’s, Families First, Community Policing Team, Advisory Teaching Service, Gloucestershire Safeguarding Children Partnership, Educational Psychology Service, Youth Support Team, Speech and Language Therapists, Winston’s Wish and Family Group Conferencing.
  • Glos Families Website navigation support
  • Adult Education and Family Learning courses

All support given is confidential, however, any concerns relating to the safeguarding of children will be dealt with in accordance with the school’s Safeguarding Policy

Measurable outcomes across key stages:

  • Pupil learning data shows improvement
  • Uptake of support services increases
  • Reduction in number no shows to appointments eg parents eve
  • An increasing percentage of parental engagemen

The Local Community

Primary Offer

  • Community events e.g. school fair, car par carols, circus, picnic, treasure hunts in local community
  • Donations from community e.g. sponsored events
  • Strong Friends of Meadowside presence for raising school funds
  • Governors with responsibility for developing community links
  • Local group of reading volunteers
  • Community Champions
  • Community Links such as Fire, PCSO (Police Community Support Officer), Sports and local businesses
  • Religious groups, church links, visiting speakers
  • Supporting charities
  • Local library links and visits#
  • Local prosects and initiatives eg Gloucester Wassail, tree planting

Measurable outcomes across key stages:

  • Families have a better understanding of the wider community
  • Reduction in the percentage of Anti-Social Behaviour incidents
  • Reduction in PCSO call outs

 

The Curriculum

Primary Offer

  • Access to one-to-one support, paired and group work where needed (interventions)
  • Themed Assemblies
  • Tutoring (after school/before school)
  • Citizenship and PSHE delivery
  • Intra and Inter-school events
  • Topics and themes driven by pupils’ aspirations, relevance to both own culture and the local area, key questioning and development of language skills
  • Access to school library
  • Homework clubs
  • Wide range of extra curricular activities

Measurable outcomes across key stages:

  • Increase in percentage of children attending a school club
  • Pupil data shows academic progress

Useful Websites:

  • GHLL–Gloucestershire Healthy Living and Learning
  • SENDIASS–Website for advice and support to parents and carers of young people aged 0-25 with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND)