Effective practice |

Building partnerships with families

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Number of pupils
249
Age range
3-11
Date of Inspection
 

Information about the school

Ysgol Maesglas is in Greenfield, Flintshire.  Most pupils live locally.  Currently, the school has 249 pupils, including 32 in the nursery, who attend on a part-time basis.  The school admits pupils to the nursery class at the age of three.  There are 10 classes.  The school has resource base provision for 10 pupils from across the local authority.  These pupils experience behaviour, social or emotional difficulties.  Around 27% of pupils are eligible for free school meals.  This is above the national average (20%).  

The school identifies that around 28% of its pupils have additional learning needs.  A few pupils have a statement of educational needs.

English is the main home language of most pupils.  Very few pupils come from an ethnic minority background, use Welsh as their first language or receive support for English as an additional language. 

Context and background to sector-leading practice

Prior to 2014, the school identified that relationships with parents and the community were not effective in improving pupil outcomes.  Levels of participation and general engagement in school life were low.  The support that the school offered families was also limited.  There were no effective systems in place to develop partnership working.  This resulted in issues with attendance, punctuality, negative behaviours, low attainment and a lack of school support from the community.

The school appointed a Family Support Worker in February 2015, to improve this issue.  Leaders carried out an audit, which highlighted that over 50% of parents reported that the school did not help them to learn new things and gain qualifications.  There were also limited opportunities for parents to learn with their child during the school day. 

Over the past 18 months, the school has worked tirelessly to remove some of those barriers and improve relationships between home and school.  Family support, care and guidance are now embedded in the Maesglas ethos.  There is now a purposeful, whole school approach to promote family engagement. 

Description of nature of strategy or activity

The school believes in offering a holistic approach, providing specialist and tailored support to families on a one to one basis.  Meetings take place within the family home, in school and the wider community.  Support and advice are given on:

  • housing and home life
  • physical health and mental wellbeing
  • financial support and debt management
  • relationships and behaviours
  • education and learning

The school structures this support clearly for families.  However, it also recognises the need to be reactive due to the nature of the community.  Staff have excellent relationships with specialist services, including organisations from health, wellbeing and finance. 

Ysgol Maesglas has now become an important part of Greenfield.  It offers courses and activities for the whole community to access, including Credit Union, Food Co-Op and Basic Skills.  Family Learning has become one of its focuses, offering a wide variety of sessions throughout the year.

What impact has this work had on provision and learners’ standards?

The work of the family support team has significantly improved relationships with the wider community and family engagement levels.  This has a notable effect on improving pupils’ wellbeing and their active participation in learning.

The school measures the effect of its tailored support to parents and family members through impact monitoring.  It measures:

  • the number of successful referrals
  • impact on the individual and his/her family
  • attendance, punctuality and confidence levels

Leaders know that the family support interventions are improving lives for the pupils and their families.  They are having a positive effect on mental health and wellbeing.  Through collaborative working and the implementation of individual strategies, the school is currently supporting over 50 families, each with their own area of need.  

How have you shared your good practice?

Maesglas Family Support has presented at conferences in Cardiff and Wrexham to over 180 delegates from schools and services from across Wales.  It has held workshops highlighting the effective practice and strategies used to improve further pupil outcomes. 

Maesglas plays a key role in the Flintshire Family Support network meetings.  Staff from other settings regularly contact school for support and guidance in relation to the family support role. 

 

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