Field Lane J I & N School

Helping Hands Meeting  Tuesday 12/11/19

Three mums and a dad attended. Confidentiality was initially agreed by the group.

The following items were discussed.

• Everyone introduced themselves and explained the needs of their child and the difficulties they faced.
• Suggestions of help were given to each parent suitable for the individual needs of their child.
• A centre in Bradford was discussed that has a good reputation for dealing with children with hearing loss. The centre can provide hearing aids that are more advanced than the usual ones available.
• White boards were discussed as a great way of doing mark making over and over again without using lots of paper. One parent said her child was a very reluctant mark maker so had never tried a white board. She would now buy one, as she thought a white board would motivate her child to make marks.
• “The Works” was discussed as a good shop to buy cheaper books and craft materials.
• Aldi and Lidl were also discussed as shops where you can buy good resources. At the minute Aldi have some Mr Tumbles Books on offer.
• This led on to a general discussion about reading. One parent said their child could read but struggled to understand much about what they had read. Parents talked this through suggesting asking questions frequently and asking the child to summarise regularly, what they had just read. Reading between the lines or inference was also discussed, as sometimes you can ask questions that a child cannot answer from the text alone, but might be able to answer from the picture. These types of questions really make them think about what is happening in their book. The importance of reading every day was also discussed. Bedtime stories were a favourite. Reading for 10 minutes a day was recommended as the minimum that should be happening. Some parents said they were already reading for longer than this as their child loved sharing books. Going to the library was also mentioned and the fact the Batley Library is so friendly and has both fiction and non-fiction books to borrow. One parent knew her child preferred to read non-fiction which are expensive to buy, so would now go to the library more often and borrow non-fiction books.
• Useful Apps were discussed to encourage letter formation. “Letter School” and “Alphabeto” are both really good for this.
• This led on to a discussion about screen time. Most parents admitted that their child spent longer on a screen than they were comfortable with. Ideas for reducing screen time to the recommended two hours a day were shared. One parent said they have to hide the screens and then get them busy doing something else. One parent has completely banned all screens from Monday to Thursday, but lets them have two hours a day over the weekend. One parent has decided to link their iPad to the TV so that their children are not staring so closely at a small screen. She says they then get bored and go and do something else. One parent said it was about a balance and making sure she spent time with her child so they would not always be on a screen. The problems associated with over use of screens were discussed. It was felt that these problems are a result of children talking less to their parents and their siblings as they are on a screen. One parent said it was important to set a good example and not let their children see them permanently on their phone. She said she tried to use her phone when her children were not around and spend more time with them.
• The next meeting was discussed and everyone agreed that they preferred to meet at 2:30 but needed a school ping to remind them.
• The next meeting will be on Tuesday 14^th January at 2:30.