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Family Support Worker
The Bridge is working in conjunction with Centre 404 to provide a Family Support Worker. Jo Murphy can be contacted at either site. Jo is available to support parents in accessing benefits and grants. She is also available to talk through anything that might be concerning parents or to answer parent/family related questions.
Primary Parent Support Group
"Parents are the biggest experts"
"I could drop in, talk about any problem (and very often either receive help in solving it or have it solved for me, or just provide a listening ear), meet and chat to any of the staff and was always part of a happy caring environment. Everyone always made us feel welcome and never a nuisance."
Parent groups are run on both sites. The Parents Support Group on the Primary Site was set up four years ago to provide a strong and consistent link between staff and parents. The aim of this group is to provide a friendly, welcoming environment in which parents feel comfortable and able to raise any concerns or issues.
The Parents Group that meets on the Primary Site is available for all parents, not just those with primary age children. This parent group runs sessions on subjects requested by parents relating to their children's education. Examples of sessions include communication (signing and PECS resource making), Personal, Social and Health Education and Sensory Integration. This group also go on trips to such places as The London Eye, Hyde Park, Covent Garden and also spend time in school jewellery making, glass painting and bag making.
The Parent Support Group has been able to encourage parents to develop their own skills and to give them the confidence to move forward with their own learning. The group meets every Wednesday morning during term time, 10 - 11.30am at the Hungerford Site.
All parents and carers are very welcome and they should get in touch with Mandy Stock for more information or e-mail parentsupport@thebridge.islington.sch.uk.
"The school cared not only about my son but us as a family"
The Secondary Parent Group meetings take place every half term, totalling six over the whole school year. The meeting agenda is set by parents in conjunction with the member of staff who runs the group.
A variety of topics have been discussed to date which include: how to access clubs, after school services and direct payments, communication difficulties and how to overcome them, sex education, looking at behaviour as a means of communication, creating and maintaining friendships, Makaton and PECS and Extended school services.
Translators are provided for parents who request this service and where possible a guest speaker or representative from an outside agency connected with the topic under discussion will come and speak at the meetings.
From these meetings many parents have made connections with each other and go on to meet regularly away from school. If parents would like to attend the Secondary Parents Group they should contact Tom Andrews at the Secondary Site.
There is another parent group which meets at the Secondary Site, which comprises parents of sixth form students. This group meets once a half term and the discussions usually focus on preparation for life after school. Any parent who would like more information about this parent group should contact Andrew Beswetherick at the Secondary Site.
"The atmosphere at The Bridge was to me, always like visiting members of your own family, always a cup of tea in hand, friendly faces who all knew our son well and what was going on in his life (obviously through great staff communication) and plenty of advice regarding health, benefits, education and the future."
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