PTA UK marks its 60th year by launching

Be School Ready Campaign

• PTA UK launches Be School Ready campaign with a magazine that aims to help mums, dads and kids get off to a great start this September
• Includes an exclusive interview with The Great British Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain
• Celebrity words of wisdom from Dom Joly, TV Medic Dr Ranj, TV presenter and author Clare Nasir and BBC6 Music presenter Chris Hawkins
• Show-stopping snack ideas from this year’s Celebrity Masterchef Champion Kimberly Wyatt

• The Be School Ready magazine also includes advice from experienced parents on starting school and how to play an active role in a child’s education, some fabulous offers and prizes as well as pull out activity pages for children http://www.pta.org.uk/BeSchoolReady

Starting school is a huge milestone for children and parents alike. So, with two months to go before hordes of newly-uniformed four-year-olds pass through classroom doors for the first time, what can mums and dads do to prepare their children and themselves for the big day?, and limit the potential for tears – the children’s and theirs – on the big day?

PTA UK, the leading membership body for Parent Teacher Associations and a registered charity, is marking its 60^th year by launching ‘Be School Ready’ campaign to support, engage and champion parents in education as well as PTAs. The Be School Ready magazine will be given to new parents nationwide by their school PTAs so that mums, dads and kids can get off to the best possible start and enjoy school life to the full.

The Be School Ready campaign helps to encourage parents to have a voice in strengthening their children’s education. Yet the first day of school can be just as daunting for parents, as it can be for children, especially when they’ve never experienced it before. Getting involved in a PTA is a fantastic opportunity to feel part of the school community and is particularly valuable for parents who have children starting school for the first time giving parents some much needed support, and showing them that no matter how much time they have to offer, their involvement in their child’s education need not end at the school gates.

The magazines are set to reach over 100,000 parents and will include a wealth of top tips from parents and an exclusive interview with Nadiya Hussain who won the sixth series of BBC’s The Great British Bake Off. Nadiya shares her secrets for dealing with the hunger gap between pick-up and dinner. Show-stopping snack ideas will also be featured from this year’s Celebrity Masterchef Champion, Kimberly Wyatt, mum to one-year-old Willow. Healthy and nutritious food is certainly one great way to limit the tears – for children and parents alike!

PTA UK asked celebrity parents to share their experiences of school life and provide words of wisdom for new starters. Comedian, writer and TV documentary maker Dom Joly who lives in Gloucestershire with his wife Stacey and children Parker.

and Jackson gives his advice to parents of children starting school in September – “Dress up as a small child and sneak into your kids’ classroom to spy on the teacher”. While it’s not clear how this approach will do anything other than embarrass the children, it gives us an insight into his approach to parenting. When asked what being a parent means, Dom replied “It forces me to grow up more than I’d like”.

TV Medic Dr. Ranj Singh is co-creator and presenter of the pioneering

CBeebies show Get Well Soon and also has a kids’ health segment

on ITV’s This Morning. He is the author of two Oxford Treetops In Fact

books for school children – Food Fuel and Skelebones – and has this to say:

“Education is hugely important and a wonderful privilege. However, alongside that we need to support children in terms of their emotional well-being and resilience.

Teaching children that it’s OK to talk about how they’re feeling, or when they’re experiencing trouble, is just as important as getting them to achieve.”

Emma Williams, Executive Director PTA UK said:

“I am delighted to be running our Welcome Packs initiative again this year. Starting school can be an exciting and nerve-wracking time for children and parents alike. I want parents to know that PTA UK is there to support them through the journey. By being involved in their school and education, mums, dads and carers can make a real and positive difference to how well their child does at school. The Welcome Packs are part of a bigger ‘Be School Ready’ campaign that we are launching this year which provides a wealth of resources to help parents play an active role and start school life with confidence.”

The PTA is a perfect way for a parent to engage with their child’s education. John Hattie from Visible Learning said:“The effect of parental engagement over a student’s school career is the equivalent of adding an extra two to three years to that student’s education.”

Media information

Celebrity interviews and food recipes from Nadiya Hussain and Kimberly Wyatt alongside images are available on request.

For all media enquiries please contact Siobhan Connor at Connor PR

Tel: 07966 177025

siobhan@connorpr.com

Full interviews and images are available on request.

Emma Williams, Executive Director PTA UK and mother of four is available for interview. Emma has a child starting reception in September.

Join the conversation:

#BeSchoolReady

@PTAUK

http://www.pta.org.uk/Parents/Be-School-Ready

https://www.instagram.com/pta.uk/?hl=en

About PTA UK

Be School Ready is PTA UK’s 2016 flagship campaign. The Welcome Packs form part of the annual initiative that started in 2015 and was created to introduce parents to their PTA support network when their children are starting school. The Be School Ready packs were sent to 1,667 member associations, reaching over 100,000 parents, across England and Wales.

Established in 1956, PTA UK is the UK’s leading PTA membership organisation. As a charity, PTA UK’s main objective is to advance education by encouraging the fullest cooperation between home and school.