SHS Practitioner, Kim Jones, has written an article for Headteacher Update on her positive male role model workshops. She begins:’For many pupils, having a positive male role-model in their lives can make a big difference to outcomes. Kim Jones suggests hosting workshops to give your fathers a chance to engage with their children and the school.I am a practitioner for education charity School-Home Support (SHS), and my role partially consists of building a bridge between home and school, making sure that family issues are resolved and parents are engaged with their children’s education. One way I have found to do this is through positive male role-model workshops.While generally school workers try to engage mums before dads, as they are often more visible at the school gate and often more engaged in their children’s education, I go to dads first. Once you have a relationship with dad, the relationship with mum often follows naturally, and male relatives are surprised and pleased when they are greeted first; it doesn’t take much effort to learn their names and to which children they are related, to greet them and tell them about their child’s progress.Once I have gotten to know the male relatives, I invite them to one of my workshops. In addition to working as an SHS practitioner, I also design and implement workshops for targeted young people and families in Croydon. So the following tips come from years of experience.’You can read the full article here: http://www.headteacher-update.com/best-practice-article/positive-male-role-models/149708/Kim also adapted the article for secondary schools. This has been published by Sec Ed magazine, here: http://www.sec-ed.co.uk/best-practice/creating-male-role-models/