Day: December 17, 2015

Sixteen families from Craigroyston Primary ‘graduated’ from a pioneering education programme this week, proven to help children achieve more in schools and strengthen their relationships with their families.

Parents and carers and their children aged three to eight, who attend Craigroyston Primary School, have successfully completed an eight week Families and School Together (FAST) programme. This is the second time the local primary School has run the programme.

The FAST programme, backed by Save the Children, supports families by working with parents and children in schools and has been endorsed by the United Nations.

Originally developed in the US by Professor Lynn McDonald, FAST now runs throughout the UK. It is entirely voluntary, open to all and is designed to give all children the chance to succeed at school.

Typical activities include singing, family games such as emotional charades and special play, sitting down together to eat a family meal and supporting parents in setting boundaries.

FAST aims to provide a fun and relaxed space for families to experience a mixture of play and learning activities, hands on coaching and support for parents and carers. Each week families can win a resource hamper to help support children’s learning in the home. The programme has high success rates in improving family relationships and links between home, school and the local community.

Save the Children say: “FAST has been so successful and the feedback we get from schools and parents is always so positive. The programme has been a great success in schools. Parents have the biggest influence on their children’s learning and development and FAST gives families the opportunity to build on this.

“We believe that every child should have a fair chance to do the best they can at school and that every family should have access to proper support in their local area.”

Total Craigroyston CLD worker Sarah Neal added: “The FAST programme was a great success. Our families got a lot out of the programme and there was a real buzz about the sessions. I’ve no doubt that they will go on to build on what they have achieved and learned together over the last few weeks.”

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