Family Team

At The Meads, we want all children to reach their full potential in all aspects of their development and emotional wellbeing. Our Family Workers; Sharon Downey and Sam Fletcher are here to work closely with children and families to develop links between home and school.

We are able to offer a range of support and advice for parents and carers including:

One to one support.
Group sessions and workshops on a range of subjects including toileting, sleep, education, online safety.
Parenting support, advice and strategies.
Transition into Foundation Stage and High School
Completing paperwork, forms and referrals, e.g. Free School Meals, Child Bereavement Service (CHUMS), School Nursing and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), High School/Starting School Applications.
Courses run by Adult Learning. Examples include Family Art, Parenting Workshops, Keeping up with your Children with Numeracy or Literacy.
Home Visits.
Link with other services both internally and externally to support our children and families, e.g. Luton Foodbank, Greenhouse Mentoring, Family Partnership Service, Level Trust, The Courtney Foundation
Attendance support and strategies.
The Meads Foodbank.
Access to our supplies of pre-loved uniform and coats.
PTA- working as a team to plan and organise events which take place throughout the year.

Please feel free to drop in to the family room, or if you prefer, timetabled appointments are available for anyone who wishes to discuss issues in a confidential environment.

What activities will you be able to attend?

There are a range of activities and sessions throughout each school term. Some sessions help parents and carers to build their own skills and confidence, whilst other sessions allow you to support the educational needs of your children Please look out for information and posters on Class Dojo, our school communication system. You are welcome to attend any that are of interest to you and your family. Please contact Sharon or Sam to secure your space either in person, by phone or by messaging your child’s class teacher through Class Dojo.

What are the benefits of my child being involved?

Increased confidence as a learner.
Improve skills.
Develop social skills.

What are the benefits for me being involved?

Involvement as a partner in your child’s education.
Family learning sessions raising awareness about how children learn.
Workshops to develop our own skills.
Getting to know your school community.

Stay and Play

Stay and Play sessions for pre-school children take place on Friday mornings in the family room during term time. Sessions may include free-play, messy play, arts and crafts, healthy snack and story or song time and will help your child by encouraging speech and language development, encouraging sharing and turn-taking and exploring new and exciting activities.

Some sessions have included visitors from the local library service, speech and language service and others. Updates on visitors are shared via Class Dojo, please look out for these and attend if something is of interest to you and your family.

Sam Fletcher is looking forward to seeing you and your younger children on Friday mornings, all welcome.

Level Trust - Uniform Exchange

As well as ordering new uniform from our uniform provider, Prestige, we have links with The Level Trust who can also support you.

If you require help or support with school uniform, please contact the Family Team or email www.leveltrust.org, where you can order school uniform online.

Alternatively, you can visit them in store, at the Uniform Exchange in The Mall Luton (open Monday to Thursday, and Saturday, 10am to 2pm).

Luton Foodbank

If you require help or support with groceries, please contact the Family Team who will be able to make a referral to Luton Foodbank.

At The Meads Primary we also have a ‘Community Breakfast Bank’, where parents/carers are able to access free breakfast items from the family hut.

Adult Learning

We have a strong working partnership with Luton Adult Learning to help provide courses for parents and carers within our school community.

Throughout the year Luton Adult Learning provide a variety of free* courses which are held in school. Below is a list of some of their previous courses:

Talk, Make and Learn
Getting into Working or Volunteering in a school setting
Enjoying Books Together
Getting Ready to Start School
Parent Workshops
Family Art for Wellbeing
Encouraging Positive Behaviour
Keeping up with the children- Maths
Learning about Science Together

**These courses are free subject to eligibility. Please note to be eligible for this free course you will need to show us that you have been a resident in the UK for more than 3 years. There are some exceptions, if you are not sure if you are eligible, please call us on 01582 490033 or speak to your family worker. www.lutonacl.ac.uk/learn-with-us/course-eligibility-and-immigration-status.html