What is the course about?
Family Learning at WAES offers a wide range of friendly, practical workshops designed to empower parents and carers to support their children’s education and wellbeing. Whether you want to better understand how your child learns, feel more confident helping with homework, strengthen family relationships, or enjoy creative activities together, you’ll find a course that suits your needs.Our workshops cover essential skills such as key maths concepts, English and phonics, digital safety, and understanding how schools teach and assess children. Examples include Everyday English for Parents New to the UK, Read and Spell in English Using Phonics, Developing Mathematical Reasoning in KS2 and Empowering Parents in the Digital Age, Confident Communication. Each workshop gives you practical tools and knowledge that you can use straight away at home.These sessions are delivered in welcoming community spaces where you can meet other families, ask questions comfortably, and gain confidence in supporting your child’s learning.
Family Learning workshops are open to all parents and carers, and no previous experience or qualifications are required. We offer a variety of sessions at different levels, in locations that are convenient for you. You’ll find our workshops in schools, family hubs, libraries, WAES centres and at community events across Westminster, making it easy to join a session close to home.
Our courses focus on helping you understand the UK school curriculum, build stronger communication with teachers and schools, and support your child to thrive in their learning. Workshops provide practical strategies for reading, writing, maths, phonics and digital safety, as well as activities that strengthen family relationships and promote wellbeing at home.
Family Learning programmes range from very short tasters to longer courses and are delivered both online and in person. All teaching takes place in accessible community locations such as schools, family hubs, libraries and local events across Westminster. There are no formal qualifications or exams, allowing you to learn in a relaxed, supportive environment. If you would like more information about a specific course, please get in touch with the Community Learning team.
Most Family Learning courses are free. Parents and carers can find out more by speaking to their child’s school, completing the enquiry form on the WAES website, or emailing communitylearning@waes.ac.uk. Schools and Family Hubs interested in partnering with WAES can contact Harriet Amos and Fathiha Fardus at the same email address.
By the end of a Family Learning course, you will feel more confident supporting your child’s development and wellbeing. You will have a clearer understanding of how children learn, how the UK school curriculum works and how you can use simple strategies at home to help your child achieve. You will feel better equipped to communicate with teachers, engage positively with the school community and support your child’s learning journey from early years through to secondary school.
After completing a Family Learning workshop, you can continue to develop your skills through a wide range of Community and Cultural Learning courses. You might choose to build your communication skills with short courses such as Finding Your Voice, Speaking in Context or Writing in Context. You could also try Gain Confidence in Digital to strengthen your digital skills or join a wellbeing and creativity course to meet new people while learning something new. Parents who want to progress further can also explore our extensive range of vocational and academic qualification courses at WAES.
