Coalition calls for family learning reform to support every child and parent in England
A group of organisations from across the adult education, early years and family support sectors is calling for long-term reform to family learning.
Coordinated by Campaign for Learning, the group is publishing five asks of government designed to restore family learning to its former standing and create a new system where every child and every parent has access to family learning.
Key proposals include creating a single national ring-fenced family learning budget and introducing a statutory entitlement to 15 hours fully funded family learning for parents and carers of children aged nine months to four years.
Julia Wright, coordinator of the group, said:
“An opportunity exists to create a national system of family learning in which every child and every parent benefits.
“Family learning gives children and parents opportunities to learn, to try something different, to ask questions and develop skills. It engages parents and carers in their children’s learning and connects them with their own, creating a first step into adult learning.
“Family learning also supports literacy, language, and numeracy, and promotes health, wellbeing and understanding across the curriculum, from science to financial education and parenting. It is vital that family learning is positioned at the heart of every local community in England.”
The coalition of organisations which includes Boromi, The Centre for Emotional Health, HOLEX, National Numeracy, Peeple, School-Home Support, and WEA is also calling for the integration of family learning into the work of family support services, including Family Hubs, Children Centres, and Family and Health Services.
It also wants to see the value of family learning embedded into the workforce development of the education sector in England, including early learning, childcare, teaching, adult education, and family support, as well as parents to become eligible for 30 hours of state-funded childcare when they participate in family learning, and/or training, and retraining.
Dr Susan Pember, Policy Director at HOLEX, said:
“HOLEX fully supports the Five Asks so that every parent and every child can benefit from family learning.
“The Five Asks create an integrated approach to family learning, balancing the learning needs of parents and children. It is so exciting to have organisations which promote child engagement and organisations which promote parental learning come together to support this new approach to family learning, giving it the status it deserves. I hope both government ministers and their shadows will carefully consider these sensible set of proposals.”
Simon Parkinson, Chief Executive of WEA, said:
“At the WEA we talk about the ripple effect of learning – the impact it has beyond the individual learner. That’s nowhere more true than in family learning. By learning alongside their children, parents gain confidence and motivation and it brings the family closer together.
“It should be a key part of future investment in community learning. The Five Asks should kickstart a political debate over family learning. We hope they secure support by the main political parties as we move towards the general election.”
The full list of asks for the government:
- Create a single national ring-fenced family learning budget from the existing funding in the Adult Education Budget and an extra £75m from the Treasury, managed by the Department for Education and devolved to local authorities
- Introduce a statutory entitlement to 15 hours fully funded family learning for parents and carers of each child aged nine months to four years and subsequently extended to children aged nine months to 10 years
- Integrate family learning into the work of family support services including Family Hubs, Children Centres, and Family and Health Services
- Embed the value of family learning into the workforce development of the education sector in England including early learning, childcare, teaching, adult education and family support
- Allow parents to become eligible for 30 hours of state-funded childcare when they participate in family learning, and/or training and retraining.
To find out more about family learning and the five asks of government, visit here.
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