Parent Gym scheme expands to help more vulnerable children

The Parent Gym is a free scheme being expanded across the capital, which involves a nine-week course of support on discipline and behavioural issues to nutrition and literacy support.

The scheme already runs in 27 schools in the most disadvantaged boroughs, but it will be expanded with the recruitment of volunteer coaches through the Team London volunteering project. 

During a visit to the Parent Gym at Shaftesbury Park Primary School, in Battersea, Johnson said: "Parent Gym can really empower parents, especially those in need of extra help when dealing with vulnerable children. As well as boosting parents' confidence, schools also report positive changes in children in the classroom.

"Above all, it gets parents talking to one another and builds a solid support structure that can sometimes be immeasurable. I‘d like to offer Parent Gym classes to every primary school in London that would like to get involved, but to do this we need more volunteers to help out. So if you have some spare time to support families, then please do get in touch and help make a real difference."

The nine-week course involves two-hour sessions, run by a Parent Gym coach, which explore different themes and each week parents choose a task to explore at home.

Kelly Wholey, a single parent of one, said: "There are so many little but important things I wasn’t aware of before coming on a Parent Gym course. I really learned to listen more and have a calmer tone and not to shout.

"The whole nutrition advice was an eye-opener and I now try and make meals with my little one, which makes him more interested in eating his fruit and veg. I found sharing my views with other people in the same position as me really helpful."

Parent Gym is funded by the philanthropic scheme The Mind Gym. Volunteers have to undertake a three-day training course to qualify and will need to pass with distinction in order to be eligible to run a Parent Gym programme.

Caroline Boyd, a volunteer coach, said: "As well as leading the sessions you find you actually learn a lot as well. I have seen parents turn up who are so shy they have never even spoken to another parent in the same school.

"They often find they are facing similar problems and week by week their confidence grows as they progress and support each other in finding solutions. Months after the course ends I’ve had parents tell me they are still following the techniques they learned."