Case Study: Roxburgh Homestead Primary School
FAMILY LEARNING CLUB
The need
Student outcomes
Roxburgh Homestead Primary School is located in a
rapidly growing area of Melbourne’s outer north. The
school has a large number of students from language
backgrounds other than English as well as from
refugee backgrounds.
Learning outcomes
School and project staff reported that the Family
Learning Club built students’ skills in speaking and
understanding English. Participation in Family Learning Club also led to students experiencing greater
enjoyment of classroom activities and enthusiasm
about school.
The school reported that many newly arrived
students from refugee backgrounds lacked the
English literacy and numeracy skills necessary to
keep up with a mainstream curriculum, and families
reported a lack of confidence in supporting their
child’s learning at home. The school also saw a
need to increase engagement with students and
their families.
“Family Learning Club helps me because it
is fun – to learn so much, to write things,
read things. It helps to practise English.”
Grade 2 Student
The response
As part of RESP, the school partnered with Banksia
Gardens Community Services to deliver out-ofschool-hours learning support for students and families from refugee backgrounds.
aide (MEA) co-facilitated sessions and was a key
contact for families. The school provided a venue and
invited selected students and families to join.
Banksia Gardens Community Services is a neighbourhood house and community organisation that
delivers training and community services including
out-of-school-hours learning support programs.
Challenges
Using a Family Learning Club model, students and
families worked together with project staff. Staff modelled practical learning activities and strategies that
parents could later use in the home to support their
children’s learning.
Banksia Gardens provided a coordinator to run the
sessions, and the school’s multicultural education
A key difference between this club and most other
family learning clubs is that it did not involve
community volunteers. This was done in order to
establish a small and intimate environment to
emphasise relationship building between project
staff and participants. While successful in this aim,
the approach limited the overall reach of the club. In
response, the project focused on building the
capacity of participating parents to support
additional families in the future.
Social and wellbeing outcomes
Family Learning Club created a safe and welcoming
environment where students were able to develop
strong relationships with staff over time. Feedback
from students showed they greatly valued being able
to learn alongside their parents.
Outcomes for families
Engagement with the school system
The project gave parents and carers a regular opportunity to ask questions and learn about the school
system. The school’s MEA was from the same language background and was able to explain school
policies to families in their shared language. The Principal and other school staff also attended occasionally
to talk with parents and carers. These engagement
Case Study: Roxburgh Homestead Primary School
FAMILY LEARNING CLUB
strategies were so effective that one parent is now a
volunteer helper at the school.
Support for their children’s learning
Some parents and carers developed confidence and
skills in English language through the Family Learning
Club. Over time these changes may help them to support their children’s learning at home.
“Through this program we’re learning
about how people deal with each other,
about culture and about how school
works.”
Parent and family learning club member
Outcomes for the school
Capacity to meet the needs of refugee students
Participating in RESP strengthened the school’s
understanding of the challenges that students and
families from refugee backgrounds face and how to
support them to overcome these challenges.
The school leadership team’s strong engagement in
and commitment to the Family Learning Club elevated its status in the school and maximised its value for
participants.
“This club has provided us with the
opportunity to enhance the partnership
between our school and the families.”
Member of school leadership team
Engagement with families
Insights gained through RESP have changed the
school’s approach to family engagement. Staff
recognise the value of families to the school community and see potential for mentoring relationships
with other newly arrived families into the future. The
school sees the Family Learning Club as part of a long
term approach to improving outcomes for refugee
background students.
“Our families who attend the club are
becoming mentors to new refugee families attending our school. This empowers and builds their trust and connectedness to our school.”
Member of school leadership team
Working in partnership
The school wanted to build a program that extended
relationships the MEA had built with families. This
was achieved through the partnership with Banksia
Gardens. The school recognises the value of a partner
organisation in supporting the delivery of a program
and in contributing to sustainable strategies.
“We wanted to build trust and further
develop our understanding of these
families’ needs. This has led to improved enrolment processes, communication and resourcing.”
Member of school leadership team
This resource was produced as part of the
Refugee Education Support Program (RESP).
RESP assists selected schools to identify
and implement strategies to support the
achievement outcomes, wellbeing and
engagement in learning of students from
refugee backgrounds.
To learn more visit www.cmy.net.au
RESP is a partnership between CMY,
Foundation House and the Department
of Education and Training, delivered in
collaboration with Catholic Education
Commission of Victoria and the Association
of Independent Schools Victoria.
RESP is supported by the Victorian
Government.