Skills for Life programmes making a difference to the children of Oldham
Teachers in Oldham, Greater Manchester, share their experiences of delivering Skills for Life programmes as part of the Opportunity Area Funding.
I have found this to be an excellent resource, especially in the current climate, children have been able to verbalise their emotions so much more than I had anticipated. This has lead on to being able to discuss about feelings during the lockdown, and current situation of class isolations etc. I am delighted with this thus far and the children love it, and their super Zippy books!
Zippy’s Friends Year 2 Teacher – Broadfield Primary School
The children and the staff love Apple's friends. The programme is well structured, easy to deliver and covers many important parts of the PSHE curriculum. It’s generating lots of discussion and we are starting to see them using the golden rules and managing situations better.
Apple’s Friends Year 4 Teacher - St Thomas C of E Primary School
The Zippy programme enabled my children to become more emotionally literate. They were able to discuss their feelings and not just rely on the standard 'happy' or 'sad'. This made it easier to talk to individuals and groups about their behaviours and how their actions might impact on others. By the end of the programme, I was pleasantly surprised by how well many of the children could express their emotions. Our school is in an area of high social disadvantage and there are a number of vulnerable children who have accessed and benefitted from the programmes this year.
Zippy’s Friends Year 2 Teacher - St Thomas C of E Primary School
I’ve been fortunate enough to deliver all three, Zippy’s Friends, Apple’s Friends and Passport programmes and all the results are the same, the children absolutely love it! The resources that come with the programme and the discussions we get from it are fantastic. The coping strategies that are given in each programme all really help the children especially in this current climate. Tips and tricks that the child wouldn’t have thought of helping them to cope with difficult situations. Who would have thought that teaching a child to tense up like a rock or go loose like a noodle would help them in times of anxiety. Having the opportunity to keep all of these coping strategies in one place such as a booklet or treasure chest like in the Passport programme is a fantastic idea for children to relate to and go back to at times of need. The Zippy’s Friends, Apple’s Friends and Passport programmes have all been well received by members of staff who have delivered them and mostly importantly by the children. I’d recommend all primary schools get in touch with Partnership for Children to enquire about setting up the programmes in their school.
Skills for Life Teacher - St Chads Primary School
