Parents go back to class at Brimsdown
When the morning bell goes at Brimsdown Primary School in Enfield, it’s not just the children who start making their way to class.
A group of parents have been on a six-week maths course at the school, designed to teach them the skills they need to confidently tackle everyday tasks, like budgeting and helping their children with homework, while also opening the door to future opportunities.
The course is the first in a series of free training that Brimsdown headteacher Matthew Clifford is planning to offer to parents during the school day, enabling them to learn new skills and knowledge alongside their children.
Matthew explains: “We know that childcare responsibilities and cost are barriers to adult learning and we wanted to address this by offering parents the chance to access free courses during the school day, when their children are in lessons.”
The course is run by apprenticeship and training provider CCCT, which is part of Capital City College Group (CCCG).
It’s funded by the government’s Multiply programme, which has been endorsed by the Mayor of London, to help adults across the UK improve their maths skills.
Matthew adds: “The course has been really well received and our first cohort of parents have just received their completion certificates. We’re planning to offer a range of courses in the future and give parents the opportunity to gain qualifications, such as GCSEs.”
Matthew adds: “Brimsdown has a strong reputation for being an inclusive school and is at the heart of its local community. We want it to be a school for the whole family and it’s incredibly inspiring for the children to see their parents engaging in education too.”
Mum Stacy Manderson, 46, signed up to the course to improve her confidence in maths. She says, “I haven’t studied maths in years and sometimes when my daughter, who is in Year 5, asks me for help with her homework I don’t know the answer. I’ve really enjoyed the course and I feel more confident with numbers now. I would definitely sign up for more opportunities in the future and I’d love to try subjects like English and Childcare.”
Flutur Shegaj, 31, also enjoyed the course and has just received her certificate. She says: “The best thing about it is that I can drop my son at the school nursery in the morning and then come to the class. We are learning at the same time.”