Engaging with parents of Roma children at school: Annette Street Primary Parents Group, Glasgow

Annette Street Primary School has 214 pupils and most of the pupils are Roma or other new immigrants to the city who live in the Govanhill area. Because so many of the pupils speak different languages the school faces a range of challenges. One of these challenges has been finding ways to engage with parents who may also have English language difficulties. The parents group is held once or twice a week and is open to all parents at the school. Each group session has a theme or a Business Agenda. The Head teacher attends scheduled sessions with the parents and availability permitting may join other sessions to say hello or to check if the parents have any questions or suggestions for her. The sessions are always facilitated by a Community Development and Engagement Officer with support of translators in Romanian, Slovakian and Urdhu. So far, the group has been extremely well attended with anything from 12- 50 parents at different sessions. The purpose of the group has been to find a way to engage with parents to tell them about different things that may be available to them such as being able to claim free school meals or grant aid for uniforms. One of the reasons that the group is so successful is that from the beginning, the Head teacher has allowed parents to set the agenda and created a space where there is two-way dialogue and where parents are encouraged to make suggestions and ask questions. The most important thing is that parents feel they have a voice at the school and that they are given the space to find this voice and build trusting relationships with those trying to help. Doina, a parent at Annette Street Primary school in Glasgow, has been coming regularly to the parents activities that Glasgow City Council have been running in Govanhill, with some funding provided by Roma-NeT. Doina’s two sons attend the school. The oldest is in Primary 5, aged 8 and the youngest is in Primary 3, aged 6. The family came to Glasgow two years ago. One Friday, we asked Doina what she thought about the ‘Parents Group’ when the group were having an induction to the sports facilities at the Gorbals Leisure Centre. She had this to say about the parents group: “The parents group is really a good thing, it has helped me a lot. I have found out things I never knew before and my family is definitely benefitting…….. I have been in Glasgow for two years and this is the first time I have gone swimming. I am really happy because I really liked the swimming pool and I will come back with my husband and my two sons. I heard about the Glasgow Kidz Card through the Parents Group and was shown how to apply for a card for my two sons. Their cards came in the post a couple of weeks ago. My sons can now go swimming there for free with their Kidz cards. We prepared for St. Nicholas’ Day and had a jewellery-making workshop so we could make some gifts. We all made a jewellery set of matching earrings, necklace and bracelet. I sent mine to Romania to show them what I made in Glasgow. We have had an introduction to some of Glasgow’s most famous and beautiful buildings and museums. Our first visit was to ‘The People’s Palace’ in Glasgow Green. It is a museum about the Working Lives of the people of Glasgow. On our second visit we went to the City Chambers, the building of Glasgow City Council. On our tour of the building, we sat in the Council Chamber where the council makes it’s most important decisions. I have made new friends, Slovakian, Romanian, Nepalese, Scottish “ Some of the Slovakian parents in the group had this to say about it. “It’s really great we now have somewhere to go to meet up and catch up with people for a ‘chin wag”. (This means a chat). “We have heard about a lot of things through the parents group and people know they can come and ask for help.” For the team at Glasgow City Council and at Annette St Primary School, this group has already been a genuine success. We know from other community development work that having the participation of so many parents to our group meetings is a sign that there is a need being filled for parents of Roma children. Whether we are helping them to understand how to access benefits, free school meals, grants for school uniform, what is happening with their children at school or just to find out what is going on locally and meet other parents; we can see that the group ismaking a difference to both children and parents alike.