Clockwork Oscott Extended School Cluster in Birmingham
Cardinal Wiseman School had been appointed as lead school in its Extended Provision Cluster in 2007 and initially approached Father Hudson’s Society to learn from its experience in the Border Busters Cluster, regarding the various possibilities around Family Support. Father Hudson’s Society was happy to share this. Later on, the Steering group in the Cluster invited the Society to provide a focussed service for families in the transition years, yr 6’s and yr 7’s, in the schools comprising the Clockwork Oscott cluster . This was a pilot project for one year.
This was a major challenge because there are two senior schools –one of which has over two thousand students. There is a Special school – Oscott Manor, a Nursery & Children’s Centre, and four primary schools.
Cardinal Wiseman
Great Barr Senior
Great Barr Primary
Glenmead primary
Maryvale Primary
Greenholm primary
Goodway Nursery & Children’s Centre
Oscott Manor
Father Hudson’s Society was pleased that it was able to offer this service to such a mix of schools: two Catholic and six State schools, with its vision of serving anyone in need. In September 2007 the Family Support worker came into post.
Another distinguishing feature of this project is that the Extended Schools Coordinator and the Family support worker share an office in the newly refurbished parish Community Centre
In her first few months the Family Support worker became very involved in the Cluster’s first Activities week in the October half term and in working with the Coordinator on the organisation of the Launch of the new Cluster in the Centre in November 2007.
This post was initially funded for one year using Cluster Core funds .Five of the schools involved decided in 2008 that they were in a position to commit to continue the project with funding from their own main budgets,Cluster funding and support from Father Hudson’s Society. When the Family Support worker left in the Summer of 2009 to take up the post of Deputy Manager at a Children’s Center ,the Cluster decided to reappoint for a further two years .The new FSW will work alongside the PSA worker who started in 2008.