Rest is strategic

Three signs your school has real family voice: Parents raise concerns early Feedback is specific, not vague Families suggest solutions That only happens in safe systems. Surveys don’t create honesty. Relationships do.

Do what you said you would. Trust isn’t built in strategies. It’s built in follow-through. Every call made. Every promise kept. Every family respected. That’s community work.

Calm leaders create calm schools

People copy behaviour, not policy. They notice how leaders listen. How staff speak to families. How mistakes are handled. Culture isn’t written. It’s watched.

Another First Night in Care bag heads out. Packed with the help of @YouthShedzNew Full of what our students said they would’ve wanted on night one. A notebook, a pen, fidgets, a water bottleand a teddy. Small things. Big message, you matter.

Catching up on paperwork. Recording 'exit criteria' for children with trauma misses the point. Care experience doesn’t end on discharge. Progress isn’t linear. Paperwork needs to reflect people, not processes. One size fits one.

Good schools care. Great schools show it.

Budgets matter. But noticing what’s already there matters more. Your community is richer than you think.

Ideas for this - revamp the staffroom with donations from the community, ask businesses to sponsor upgrades, find the parents with social media and videography skills for marketing, they can run clubs and offer enrichment activities too.

Oh yes! It's almost standard in my advice (in my staff survey reports) to say something along the lines of, "I know budgets are tight so you won't have money for this, so reach out to your community and see who can help"

When budgets shrink, communities matter more. Every parent brings skills. Every family brings knowledge. The challenge isn’t funding. It’s noticing.

Warm systems lift everyone. When routines are predictable and relationships are human, people show up, stay, and grow. Warmth = belonging. Belonging fuels learning.

Tone > timetable. You can fix a timetable later. You can’t undo a first impression. Warm welcomes build trust. Trust builds readiness. Readiness builds learning. Start there.

Investors in Families exists because goodwill alone doesn’t survive pressure. Structure does. If this feels relevant, you’re probably already doing most of the work.

Sharing information is family engagement. You don’t need to fix everything. You don’t need the perfect words. Sometimes the most powerful support is: Here’s what’s available locally just in case. Connection beats complexity.

If you know someone that needs support this Christmas help is available locally, quietly and without judgement. Over the next few days we’ll be sharing: food support warm spaces free activities mental health support If you can add suggestions please do.

This time of year is busy. Often exhausting. Sometimes emotional. To every school staff member still showing up for children and families thank you. Your consistency, care and calm make a bigger difference than you’ll ever see. Wishing you rest, warmth and a well-earned pause.

What would better consistency look like in your setting?

What’s the biggest barrier to family partnership in your setting right now?

Over the festive period, many families need a bit of extra support. We’re starting a thread of places offering food support, warm spaces, activities and mental health help. Know a group, event, pantry, or organisation offering support this Christmas? Please reply below so others can find it.

Tea, chat, belonging. Your simplest intervention might be the most powerful.

Leadership isn’t stepping in, it’s stepping back so others can step up

Our students are working with @YouthShedzCymru to make our first Night in Care Bags. 💛 Each one will be filled with the things our students said they wished they’d had on their first night in care. If anyone can help us with donations please get in touch.

Community involvement boosts motivation & resilience. When families and schools plan together the impact multiplies. It helps people feel seen, valued and included. How do YOU build participation in your setting?

At Investors in Families, we believe the magic is in the everyday. When schools are extraordinary at delivering the ordinary, families feel seen, valued, and supported. That’s where real change begins. 💛 #CommunitySchools #InvestorsInFamilies

Where do families co-deliver in your school? Show us your Family Skill Exchanges or Community Projects. We’d love to share your story in our next newsletter. [email protected]

Three easy ways to build family partnerships. 1️⃣ Family Skill Exchange 2️⃣ Community Micro-Projects 3️⃣ Co-Delivery Weeks Each one turns engagement into action.

You can’t take accountability personally. As leaders, we hold space for accountability, not as blame, but as learning. Growth over guilt.

Wishing every school a bright week under the fireworks and full moon! This week’s Community Connections explores how families and schools can build together, not just talk together. Sign up here 👉 www.investorsinfamilies.co.uk/newsletter/

Everyday Voice starts with listening that leads to action. When families help shape school life everyone grows. This week’s Community Connections shares ideas for turning feedback into co-creation. Sign up here www.investorsinfamilies.co.uk/newsletter/

Worth a Share. Move beyond meetings, try Co-Design Cafés, Family Story Labs and Skills Exchanges. These small steps build huge belonging. When families co-create school life, everyone wins. #FamilyEngagement #Belonging #CommunitySchools

Everyday Belonging starts with one simple question “How do families feel when they walk into your school?” This week’s Community Connections explores how schools are turning family engagement into genuine co-creation. Sign up for the newsletter www.investorsinfamilies.co.uk/newsletter/

Connection over perfection. Every message, smile, or update brings families closer to school life. #InvestorsInFamilies #FamilyEngagement #FridayFocus

Everyday leadership starts small. When families take on visible roles in school life, no matter how small, it changes the message to, 'This is our school.' #FamilyEngagement #CommunitySchools #InvestorsInFamilies

The message is clear, success grows when schools, families and communities work together. Communication, confidence, connection. #InvestorsInFamilies #CommunitySchools

Happy Monday in AP. Never a quiet start. Weekends bring stories and moments to work through. Every Monday is a fresh chance to reset, reconnect and rebuild.

Morning

Strong schools grow from strong communities. Join Investors in Families and show how your school is building futures with families at the heart. Sign up today and be part of the community. www.investorsinfamilies.co.uk/contact-us/

I can’t share the stories of what some of our young people have been through before joining us but if I could, your blood would boil. Huge respect to every Alternative Provision out there making a difference every day. #AP

Join Investors in Families before 18th July and get your first year’s membership for HALF PRICE! ✉️ [email protected] 👉 Use Code: IIF50TERM ⏳ Don’t miss out, offer ends when the school term does

Working in AP is a privilege, but it’s tough. The behaviours, the battles, the heartache, it can wear you down. Just checking in… how are all my fellow APs doing out there? Are you ok?

That Robinson’s advert has caused a bit of a conversation. From my perspective I didn't see bad parenting. I saw it as reconnecting after a tough moment. You’ve got to reach them before you teach them. Context is everything. #ReconnectionBeforeRepair

In sport, they talk about key moments not the full game. We are using that mindset in our AP. Capturing moments of regulation, kindness, effort, connection. And those moments matter. #MomentsMatter

The latest edition of Community Connection is here. ✨ Featuring: The power of the Coffee Morning ☕ Creative twists like StarBooks and Knit & Natter New grant opportunities for community projects Spotlight on @KoalaNorthWest 👉 mailchi.mp/investorsinf...

Up at the crack of dawn to support one of our students at Mold Market today. He is selling @Hoff_Coffi raising money for @Teams4u as part of a youth traders event. Come say hello and help him sell-out. #SupportLocal #YouthTraders

We are using Greg Bottrill's Can I Go and Play Now? to help us embrace the power of play in our AP setting. Anyone else implemented any of the ideas? #ThisisAP

Our Weekly Wins & TSPDS email is more than just an update, it’s a moment to pause and reflect. I always make time to send it to the team every Friday.

Working in an AP means carrying the weight of trauma that’s not your own. The kids need our whole heart, every day. Empathy fatigue is real but so is the impact. Love this job, but glad it is a long weekend.

Any other APs have drop-ins and surprise visits from Social Workers? They disrupt our learners and stretch our small team. A bit of planning would make a massive difference #ThisisAP