Topic 2 Tips on how to plan and host a successful information session (using the pandemic as an example)

Many parents are interested in information sessions aimed at managing behaviour or promoting their child’s wellbeing

1. Find out what information sessions families want
2. Decide whether to focus meetings on different subjects, year groups, or early childhood groups
3. Find out when it is best to hold information sessions
4. Create invitations

Running the event:

• Make the setting attractive & welcoming
• Have an official and culturally appropriate welcome
• Use ice-breakers
• Have students teach their families school activities
• Enable parents and children & teenagers to lead sessions or parts of sessions
• Keep sessions short
• Make the information available to all families that need or want it
• Gather evidence from group discussions- on children’s & families’ needs

Activities:

• Fishbowl technique: organise a group of people in a ring of chairs to discuss a topic of interest. When someone vacates a chair someone else can join & add to the conversation
• Use Polls and Quizzes: on hardcopies or tablets, phones etc. Display the responses to questions on a screen and award a small prize for correct answers