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Success with Summer Workshops in the South.  

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Success with Summer Workshops in the South.  

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Team South have had huge success working across five libraries, over three weeks. We had a total of 276 enrolments and 206 learners. The team created craft projects from beaded keychains, laminated jelly fish, mermaid spoons, paper plate rainbow fish to clay figures, paper cup shakers, bookmarks and lots lots more. The children that we had come through our workshops have been truly inspired by creating something that they can wear with pride or have pride of place at home. The children and libraries that we had contact with had so much amazing feedback for us with, Harborne library said, 'It's always a pleasure to have Nilmini and her amazing team hosting sessions at the library. The sessions are always busy and the children and parents/carers enjoy them very much. The statistics show how successful they are. The team are very friendly and welcoming. We'd love to have them here more often. Roll on October. Team South are incredibly proud of the children that have been inspired by the work they have done with us.

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Summer Workshop 2026 Bag Charms Group Photo.JPG

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Sharing our time, skills, energy for the benefit of the community.

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'Small actions, big impact- our classes taking an active role in the Community'(Autumn 2026) Handsworth classes: Tutor: Susan Musyoka

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'Small actions, big impact- our classes taking an active role in the Community'(Autumn 2026) Handsworth classes: Tutor: Susan Musyoka

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Over the last six weeks we focused on the essential life skill of taking a more active part in the community; aiming to help learners understand the importance of participation, responsibility, and positive contribution to the people and places around them.

Some learners supported their neighbors with everyday tasks, while others offered help to strangers through simple acts of kindness. Some helped in community projects, like food banks, Sunday school activities, sharing cooking skills, coffee mornings, others joined Art classes.

These experiences helped learners build confidence, communication skills and a sense of social responsibility; enabling them take initiative, show care for others and making positive contributions-no matter how small.

The classes demonstrated growth in independence, empathy, and active citizenship, and many have expressed pride in the roles they played in their communities

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Alston Primary / Waste not, want not / Nagina Ikram

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Alston Primary / Waste not, want not / Nagina Ikram

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This course was about not wasting food and looking at ways to use up all the food and introduce healthy ideas. Parents have started to freeze food which will save them money. They have also discussed how convenient it is as they know in an emergency there is cooked food in the house.

Parents have also made food swops using brown rice and trying different foods like cous cous and avocado.
The children have also benefited and were very excited to see their parents. Maryam was very happy to come into school knowing that her mum would attend the workshop. Usman did chores around the house and completed his homework on time as his mum promised him if he works harder she will attend the workshop.

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St Anne's Catholic Primary School. Festive Crafts.

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St Anne's Catholic Primary School. Festive Crafts.

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I have been teaching Festive Crafts at St Anne's this term *Autumn 2, 2019). One of my learners, Ferdoushi, was new to the school and very quiet and shy the first two lessons. I encouraged her to speak, (as her English speaking skills are good), as much as she could in class and participate more in other school activities. She has now met new people and made friends and her confidence level has massively increased. In her own words "I can speak to school staff now, and I'm not afraid to make contact with other parents." From conversations with Ferdoushi, it's come up that she is very interested in IT and that she one day would like get a job in that field. She has now started the enrollment process to do the IT for beginners course at Spark Hill this spring, and shes now waiting to do the assessment. When we finished the FL course this week she must have thanked me a hundred times for the support and how this course has helped her believing in herself enough to pursue her goals:)

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Ladypool Primary School. 1286-01/FLER2-01L-A/001, Sofia Hussain, tutor: Samreen Razaq 

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Ladypool Primary School. 1286-01/FLER2-01L-A/001, Sofia Hussain, tutor: Samreen Razaq 

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Sofia Hussain has been attending Family Learning classes since Spring 2019 and expressed a desire to progress in her education. After attending the phonics course that I delivered in September 2019 she decided to get an initial assessment at BAES. Julie Wright's CEIAG talk was pivotal in Sofia's decision.
Sofia is indeed a super success story as she has attended her initial assessment on 10.09.2019  and is starting the Working with children level 1 fast track  in January 2020. Sofia is also enrolling onto the IT for Employment level 1 at Acocks Green and the Business Administration level 1 at Sparkhill in January 2020!
Sofia's plan is to progress onto the level 2 in child care in September 2020.
In her own words:
"The family learning course has given me direction to what I want to do in life and I have now enrolled at some courses at BAES centres".

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Ladypool Primary School. 1286-01/FLER2-01L-A/001, Nabila Albadasy, tutor: Samreen Razaq 

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Ladypool Primary School. 1286-01/FLER2-01L-A/001, Nabila Albadasy, tutor: Samreen Razaq 

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Nabila is a learner on the festive crafts course Autumn 2, 2019. English is Nabila's second language and despite this she has engaged extremely well with all of the activities within the course. Nabila is extremely skilled in baking, jewellery making and crafts. However not being able to speak English fluently is a big barrier for Nabila in progressing in education and employment.
Following on from our CEIAG discussions, Nabila has booked herself for an initial assessment for Pre-entry ESOL at Jospeh Chamberlain college  (16.12.2019). Nabila will begin this course in January 2020.

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I taught Healthy Eating at Kings Rise Academy this term with a lovely small group. One mom, in particular, was very worried about her son. She said he wont taste any fruit or vegetable and he might even get angry if we ask him to. When Vinnie (her son) came to class, I was almost a bit worried after what she told me, but what a surprise. From the first ever class he attended he has had such a positive attitude and tried loads of different food (spat most of it out, but still). He helped me with tidying and participated actively in all activities. His mom, Lisa was shocked how much he enjoyed the class and how his attitude to trying new food has changed:)

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St Saviours School/Creative Families/Saima Asif

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St Saviours School/Creative Families/Saima Asif

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When the group started, most of the learners stayed in their peer groups. Over the weeks I engaged the learners into group activities which involved them working with other learners. Each week a new icebreaker was introduced so that they can explore further about each other. By the end of the 3rd week all learners were comfortably speaking to each other and built up a positive banter during the sessions. They all engaged well in activities as well as supporting each other to work through the skills required to develop during the session. Each week the learners would identify the skills they have developed by completing the activities and would explore further how they can use the activities to try at home with their children.

Learner S expressed that since she has started doing the course her child has started to engage more with the homework. She found that her child was a lot more responsive to the activities and engaged positively during the sessions.

Learner T mentioned that her child gets bored really quickly with the homework set by the school. During the first session, it would be a challenge for the mum to keep the child engaged in the activity set. Over the weeks, we discussed handy tips for the mum to try, which she tried once her child joined the session. The learner saw how her child improved over the weeks and was engaged. By the end of the course, the child had fully engaged in the activities set. She said spending time with her child doing creative activities has also encouraged her child to step away from using the ipad for long hours.

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Kitts Green CC/Creative Families/Saima Asif

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Kitts Green CC/Creative Families/Saima Asif

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The learners from this group continued from the Learning through Play course. All learners who completed the Creative Families course will be progressing onto Entry-level three Childcare. The learners expressed that they have developed creative techniques, which they have not tried before. The learners were sharing ideas as well as techniques they used to help complete the tasks. Learner A mentioned that she has used the skills learnt from the session to help with her child’s homework. She said her children enjoyed all activities as well as encouraging all her children to work together.

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Parent H shared that she has started to 'take a step back' (a strategy discussed in class when parents feel that bubble of anger rising in their stomach when their child presents with challenging behaviour). Parent H said that over the week, she has started to take the deep breath, close her eyes and mentally take that step back. She no longer shouts at her son and has discovered that her son responds to her much better. She said that her home environment is calmer now and her son listens to her. She said she has realised that it was her behaviour that was triggering her son's challenging behaviour. She said she had completed another parenting course with another provider previously without any positive impact on her parenting and she found the strategies discussed over the weeks were extremely beneficial and especially the 'take a step back' as it has transformed her parenting.

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KingLadypool Primary and Harper Bell Samreen Razaq
When I began planning my sessions for the festive crafts course I decided that I wanted to deliver something that was meaningful and purposeful. I approached  Kingfisher care home in Yardley and asked them if the learners/children I am working with could make Christmas sacks for a handful of residents. The link worker was fabulous and he arranged for 16 residents plus their photographs and detailed profiles to be shared with my learners and their children. The parents and children had great fun creating sacks out of hessian roll and creating a few craft items each week. They also researched their 'special friends' interests and life history at home.
The children also wrote letters to their special friends and I delivered the completed sacks in week 5. The children will be getting their replies this week and are very excited.
This project is one of the first of it's kind in Family Learning. We have called it 'Three generations' as it touches very aptly on the intergenerational spirit. The project is not exclusive to Christmas and can be delivered throughout the year during various festivals.
Below I have a photograph of  one of the residents receiving their sacks.

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Healthy eating session at Kingsland Primary 

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Healthy eating session at Kingsland Primary 

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Mum shared that child R who is currently being assessed for autism is very fussy with food. At the start of the course, child R would not eat anything other that a ham cob for lunch and very little of anything else. In the third week of the course I planned a blindfolded food tasting session where the children were blindfolded and fed various foods by their parents. Child R was initially reluctant but mum reinforced the "just one bite" rule that we had been practising and child R participated in the entire task. Child R discovered that she loves mango and pineapple. Mum told me the following week that child R has been volunteering to try new foods and has recently tried cucumber and in the words of mum "she loved it".

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Bells Farm Community Centre/Creative Families/Megan Soar

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Bells Farm Community Centre/Creative Families/Megan Soar

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I just wanted to say how much I am enjoying the sessions at Bells Farm - combining a mental health element with the creative activities. Learners are engaging well:

S  has brought amazingly detailed art work from home to show - he did it on the back of a cereal packet. Plus walking sticks carved and polished from found tree branches.

A. said she found doing the Circle of support activity with her older children really useful and reassuring as a single mum. She is also enjoying the opportunity to experiment with art activities having never tried any before.

This wk we discussed feelings and importance of finding a way to express them and acknowledging children's feelings of pain, anger, sadness- as well as happy feelings. Then parents started creating their own picture- a child who is usually at nursery attended with her mum and made her own picture- sticking on daisies etc from the garden.

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Kitts Green Childrens Centre/ Learning Through Play/ Saima Asif

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Kitts Green Childrens Centre/ Learning Through Play/ Saima Asif

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When the group started, a few learners were quiet and did not really speak to the other learners or were involved in limited discussion. Over the weeks, I mixed up the learners into different groups and they participated fully whilst getting to know each other.

Learner P shared that at the start she thought about quitting as this as she did not know anyone. She was glad she did not as now she has made many friends as well as has learnt to do different activities with her children.

When Learner S started, she would speak limited English and would brush it off. Over the weeks, she developed the confidence and now speaks more in English. This has motivated to progress onto a childcare qualification.

Another learner mentioned how she has used the activities as a starting point to help her plan further activities. Whilst working on The Very Hungry Caterpillar Story, she invested in buying a Caterpillar garden resource kit to encourage her children to develop and learn further.

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Learner M told me that she would never have attended the course if she had known there would be learning involved for her. Learner M left school in year 9 and her confidence in learning was low. However by the third session learner M told me that she is really enjoying the gardening skills and knowledge she is picking up and is using them at home. Learner M told me that she spent the weekend at the garden centre and has set up a planting area in the garden with her family!

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Christ The King Primary/Sow&Grow/Samreen Razaq 

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Christ The King Primary/Sow&Grow/Samreen Razaq 

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Learner S told me that she was not very 'tech savvy' and shies away from computers and the internet in general. I demonstrated a step by step tutorial of how to set up a 'kahoot' quiz account. Learner S took part in the quiz and came 2nd! Learner S has said she will use the app with her grandson =.

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Bushmere House, Seasonal and Cultural.
Ioulia Mezentseva
I was delivering the Family Learning workshop during the half-term break there. I had couple of mums coming in and not intending to stay together with their children and asking if they can leave them to do craft and collect them after. I explained that this was for the Parents to support their child's learning. Because children really wanted to attend the workshop the mums decided to stay. I was really pleased watching them learning, crafting and creating together and mums really enjoying spend ing quality time with their kids. The parents' attitudes changed within this one session. They understand now that children can do really well if they have their parents help.

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Birchfield / Springhill Libraries / S&Cultural 

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Birchfield / Springhill Libraries / S&Cultural 

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Appreciation post from Assistant Library Manager

Email from 01/06/2019
Re: Just to say...THANK YOU!!

Good Afternoon, Shakira

I just wished to express my gratitude for the two free arts and crafts sessions delivered this week by Saima Asif at Birchfield and Spring Hill Libraries.

Both sessions were well attended, thanks to you for organising and to Saima for actually delivering them by making the activities so much fun for the children and adults alike.

Regards

Zulfiqar Ali

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Goodway nursery 
Healthy Eating
Ella/Jane Croke
The parents were asked to try a new vegetable with their child for a home activity in session 1.
Ella's Mum had said she struggles to eat vegetables but gave her some mashed swede to try. Mum said that she was so happy because Ella tasted the swede for the first time. Whilst she didn't eat all of it the fact she tasted it was real progress.
Well done Ella:) 

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Goodway nursery 
Healthy Eating
Ella/Jane Croke
The parents were asked to try a new vegetable with their child for a home activity in session 1.
Ella's Mum had said she struggles to eat vegetables but gave her some mashed swede to try. Mum said that she was so happy because Ella tasted the swede for the first time. Whilst she didn't eat all of it the fact she tasted it was real progress.
Well done Ella:) 

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Healthy Eating Course
jane Croke
Session 2

One of the mums expressed concern that hr daughter was not eating very well. Shesaid she would not eat the pizza made today.
She was shocked when after making and cooking the healthy pizza her daughterpromptly said she wante sme to eat now and subsequently ate the whole one! Mum was so surprised:)

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Healthy Eating Course
Jane Croke

Dutring the session the parents were encouraged to prepare a salad with their children which involved the use of knives to cut up the tomatoesand cucumber- the parents were horrifed at first but when they allowed their chidre to use the knives safely they were amazed and said they would encorage their children to be more independent.

In the first session also one of the parents said her so would not eat aything other than toast, when Making salad Calum was seen eating corn very happily to his mum's surprise.
Another parent said her daughter would not eat anything

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Yardley Wood Library / Seasonal & Cultural workshop / Anolin Stevens

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Yardley Wood Library / Seasonal & Cultural workshop / Anolin Stevens

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Feedback from the venue Manager Christine Hughes: Many thanks for organising today’s event for us, and please pass on our thanks to the ladies who came to facilitate the event.  We had some lovely feedback from the children and their parents who really enjoyed the crafts and being able to take home a plant.

If there is any availability for holding events at the library in the future, we would love to host an event again.

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Anthony Rd Childrens Centre / 18FLSA109L/ Digital Families / Marjorie Jackson

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Anthony Rd Childrens Centre / 18FLSA109L/ Digital Families / Marjorie Jackson

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The learners enjoyed the course so much they were eager to continue, we've set up a progression course for them to follow up with an Entry 2 qualification in IT for Spring 2 at Saltley Learning Centre.

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Ladypool Primary School / Happier Parenting / Sinead Sale/Harding

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Ladypool Primary School / Happier Parenting / Sinead Sale/Harding

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Venue Feedback:
"One of the parents had previously addressed concerns regarding her child not following instructions in the morning, not allowing her parent to support her in getting ready for school, this often resulted in the child being late for school or coming to school not full ready.  Since being on the course the Class Teacher has noticed an improvement in the child’s punctuality and a more positive attitude in the morning.  Mum has also highlighted that there morning routines are now less stressful and more manageable."

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Warren Farm Primary / 17FLSA2061L / Fouzia Umad / Banu Ali

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Warren Farm Primary / 17FLSA2061L / Fouzia Umad / Banu Ali

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A learner who started on a FL course in 2018 who has progressed onto a L1 qualification and is currently studying in Erdington Learning Centre now.

She completed a FL Floristry course at Leigh School (Hodge Hill Ward) and enjoyed it so much, she wanted to further her knowledge and skills in Floristry.  Banu advised of how she could get on to do a course in Floristry as part of the CEIAG at the end of the course.

She joined and completed a Floristry – Contemporary Gift Work – Intermediate Course at Erdington.

She is currently completing a L1 Floristry course at Erdington Centre expecting to complete in June 2019.