Volunteering at Hoole St Michael CE Primary School
We value parental volunteers. We currently have a number of valued parents who help in school.
There are different ways you can volunteer including helping in the classroom, joining school trips or supporting/helping to run an extra-curricular activity.
What is a classroom helper?
As a volunteer classroom helper you can assist teachers on a regular basis. You can help with tasks like listening to pupils read or change reading books. This can make a BIG difference to teachers and children.
Volunteer classroom helpers are often, but not always, parents of children at the school. We also recommend, should you wish to volunteer, that you do not help in your child’s class.
The role of classroom helper
Classroom helpers usually commit to spending regular slots of time in school each week. This time can vary from half an hour to half a day at most.
Classroom helpers make a big difference in improving standards. Even if you’re not helping in your child’s class, research shows that having a parent who volunteers, improves a child’s experience of school. This may be because you’re more ‘plugged in’ to school and know what goes on during their day. It’s a great way to get behind the scenes.
How to become a classroom helper
If you’re interested in volunteering, talk to your child’s teacher or Mrs Price to discuss when and how you would like to help.
Before you can work unsupervised in a school, you will need to have a police background check. It’s a standard procedure – carried out by the Disclosure and Barring service (DBS). Mrs Bradshaw will help you with this. You’ll be asked to fill out a straightforward form and bring in a number of key documents for evidence (i.e. your passport); the form is then sent off for processing – the check can take 4-6 weeks. If you have any police convictions, you may still be able to volunteer, depending on the kind of conviction.
Other ways to volunteer at your child’s school
Being a classroom helper is only one way to volunteer at your child’s school. There are other things you can do that don’t require a regular commitment.
We often ask for parent volunteers to help with school educational visits. However, as with being a classroom helper, you probably won’t be asked to look after your own child directly. We are also very keen to involve parental help with drama productions or with one-off events at the school.
Another way you can help is by offering your skills. For example, your work experience may be useful to share with pupils at some point in the curriculum – again, not necessarily in your child’s year.