This study is exploring the learning and social and emotional benefits of Families Connect on school children aged 4 to 6 years, and the capacity of parents' to engage with and support their child's learning. Not Applicable
Conditions
Interventions
Two practitioners from each school are trained by SCUK in how to deliver the programme. The programme then involves eight 2-hour sessions (one session a week for 8 weeks), usually held towards the end
Sponsors
Nuffield Foundation
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: Schools: 1. School type: primary schools in the state maintained sector 2. School year groups: Reception and Year 1 in England and Wales, Y1 and Y2 in Northern Ireland, P1 and P2 in Scotland 3. Disadvantage: school-level Free School Meal (FSM) eligibility of greater than 20% in England, greater than 25% in Wales, greater than 40% in NI, and in areas of disadvantage in Scotland based on Pupil Equity Funding 4. Geography: North of England, South of England, Wales, Northern Ireland (NI) and Scotland 5. School size: medium to large schools (more than one form entry) where possible 6. School first language: English speaking 7. Previous experience of Families Connect: schools must be new to Families Connect or have only run it once before in their school. Practitioners: 8. These staff must be teachers, teaching assistants or family support workers from within each school 9. They must not currently teach Reception or Year 1 (in England and Wales), Y1/Y2 (in NI), P1/P2 (in Scotland) Family: 10. Age group: families with child(ren) aged 4 to 6 years (in Reception or Year 1 in England and Wales, in Y1/Y2 in NI, in P1/P2 in Scotland) 11. Disadvantage: Families Connect is a universal programme, however it aims to work in each cycle with at least 20% of families from disadvantaged backgrounds 12. More than one child: where a family has more than one child in this age range, all eligible children can attend (especially where an additional parent/guardian can attend). Where only one child attends, this will be the eldest. 13. SEN: Children with special educational needs (SEN) are eligible 14. EAL: families and children with English as an Additional Language (EAL) are eligible. Local knowledge will be needed as to the provision of translation/interpretation services.
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: Families who have previously taken part in Families Connect with another child.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Children's receptive vocabulary as measured by the British Pictorial Vocabulary Scale Version 3 (BPVS3; Dunn et al., 2009) at baseline (early January 2019), first follow-up (end April – early May 2019), and second follow-up (the primary outcome timepoint, mid-September to early October 2019), i.e. at baseline, immediately after the 8-week programme, and 6 months after the 8-week programme. | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| 1. Children's numeracy development as measured by Hodder's Progress in Understanding Maths Assessment (PUMA; Colin and Cooke, 2015) at first follow-up (end April – early May 2019) and second follow-up (mid-September to early October 2019), i.e. immediately after the 8-week programme and 6 months after the 8 week programme. There is no baseline measurement, as there is no suitable age-appropriate numeracy test. 2. Children's social and emotional outcomes as measured by the teacher-completed Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ; Goodman, 1997) and the teacher-completed child soft skills questionnaire (CSS; SCUK) at baseline (early January 2019), first follow-up (end April – early May 2019), and second follow-up (the primary outcome timepoint, mid-September to early October 2019), i.e. at baseline, immediately after the 8-week programme, and 6 months after the 8-week programme. 3. Parental engagement assessed using a questionnaire combining the Parents' Perceptions of Parental Efficacy Scale (PES; Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler, 2005), the Parental Role Construction Scale (PRC; Sylva et al., 2008) and the KS1 Home Learning Environment Scale (HLE; Melhuish et al., 2001) at recruitment/baseline (Nov/Dec 2018) and first follow up (early April 2018), i.e. baseline and at Week 8 of the programme. | — |
Countries
England, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Contacts
Public ContactPippa;Christine Lord;Bradley
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Outcome results
None listed