Access Easy English: functional literacy

Friday, 22 January 2016

Parental engagement in education

Parents can be bombarded with information about how to support their children in school, and in the home environment. This includes areas such as how to set up a home study space to techniques for reading, to helping their child with assignments.

As students prepare to return to school in the next week, Graham Jaeshke, the Opinion Writer in The Advertiser, South Australia, reminds us all about the school/home partnership and the value of engagement by parents in their child's education.

However, for some parents this is extremely difficult.

When 44% of the Australian adult population has non functional literacy (ABS #4228, 2013) there will be many parents in the school environment who would have difficulty being engaged with their child's education, no matter how much they want to. Start to make a list of all the documents and information parents need to read and understand to be able to participate.

Here is the start of your list

Enrolment form

Open Day - meetings, school, visits

Uniform policy and uniform rules

Photo permission forms

ICT Policy and permission

Excursion notices

Parent teacher information letters and appointments

Acceptable behaviour policy - students and parents

Newsletter

Illness Rules

Management of Lice

Mobile phone school policy and rules

Asthma and Epipen regulations and rules

Volunteer requests

Reading at Home expectations

What else do you expect parents to be able to read, understand and use functionally?

This is the beginning of your journey with Easy English.

Contact me for further details or to request a quote to begin your own journey introducing Easy English to your school or organisation.

Cathy

Cathy Basterfield

Access Easy English

Consultant – Speech Pathologist
Telephone: 0466 579 855
Email: cathy@accesseasyenglish.com.au

Website: www.accesseasyenglish.com.au
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/accesseasyenglish (our recent projects)

Twitter: @accesseasyengli

Thursday, 6 November 2014

Country Fire Authority has information in Easy English

Just released - The Victorian Country Fire Authority (CFA) has released their

2014 Plan and Prepare document, Your Guide to Survival in Easy English.

The Easy English, developed by Access Easy English, comes in 4 small booklets, with a short question and answer book to help people Plan and Prepare.

The Easy English documents are called How to be safe from Bushfire in Victoria.

The books are available as free download, or you can contact the CFA for printed copies. These are particularly important when working and supporting vulnerable communities outside metropolitan areas.

CFA How to be Safe from Bushfire in Victoria in Easy English

Book 1 - Where are Bushfires?

Book 2 - Before the Bushfire season