Family Learning Festival 2011 Thursday, October 20, 2011 - 15:04

With this year's Family Learning Festival (15-30 October) in full swing, NIACE's Lead on Learning and Families, Mandy Thomas, highlights the organisation's breadth of current family learning work:

"Learning together is a cornerstone for healthy, skilled and resilient families. The stories of people who have taken part in family learning have shown this over and over again. In order to collaborate with organisations from a variety of different perspectives to make sure that the learning family is recognised as a central plank of the Big Society, NIACE is currently developing the Centre for the Learning Family. This new virtual centre will bring together knowledge and expertise on learning and families, from both inside and outside of NIACE. Its work will be focussed on areas of policy, research and advocacy, to ensure that the importance of adult and family learning in family life is recognised and supported at the highest policy levels.

To complement this work, NIACE recently hosted a joint BIS discussion for family learning stakeholders, on the Informal Adult and Community Learning review element of the Government's New Challenges, New Chances consultation. This will be followed up with a further event early next year, to consult on the implementation of new policies. NIACE is also continually talking to Government departments, in particular to encourage them to take forward the findings of the Adult Literacy Inquiry.

NIACE continues to support family learning providers and managers through facilitating FLLAG, the network for Local Authority family learning managers, and by developing training for family learning providers. We are also a partner in the National Family Learning Network, which offers a wealth of resources for family learning practitioners and provides free support and training for voluntary organisations delivering family learning.

Learning together makes a real difference to the entire family and the Family Learning Festival gives us all a real opportunity to highlight the impact it makes."

To encourage widespread participation in family learning during the Family Learning Festival and beyond, NIACE is offering a 15% discount on a selection of its family learning publications. The offer is valid until 4 November and can be redeemed by quoting Family Learning Fortnight at the chekout or call 0870 600 2400 to order over the phone. The selection of publications are:

• Family Learning: Professional Practice
• The Communication Friendly Spaces Approach 
• Read with Me 
• Read with Me Again 
• 200 Ways to Say Well Done 
• Count on me: 200 Ways To Help With Mathematics 
• Learning with Grandparents Pack