If you haven’t already, now’s the time to sign your school up for Fathers’ Story Week 2011! We’ve just added some great new activity sheets to our website (www.fathersstoryweek.org), and the first 500 schools to register there will receive a set of free resources from Ladybird, to help the week go with a bang!

Organised by the Fatherhood Institute and Barnardo’s, Fathers’ Story Week - which takes place from 13-19 June, the week before Father’s Day - gives teachers and other family learning professionals free resources and fundraising activity ideas, to help them engage with fathers and get them more involved in their children’s education. 

Activities for Fathers’ Story Week 2011 include a nationwide paper aeroplane competition, a readathon and a dads-and-kids sporting challenge. Get your pupils and their dads working together to design the best paper plane and see who can fly theirs the furthest…get them sharing stories and reading together…and get them taking part in physical activities like a marathon-length relay race or a group bounce over Big Ben! Evidence shows that when dads are positively involved in their children’s education, the children do better. For example:

• Positive engagement between father and child is linked to higher IQ at age 7 and 11, and better exam results at 16
• Fathers exert greater influence than mothers on boys’ educational choices.

Last year Fathers’ Story Week took place in over 2,000 schools and other settings. Feedback suggests 75% of dads rated FSW as excellent, and the remaining 25% rated it as good. Almost 90% said the week had improved their relationship with their child’s school.

To register to take part in Fathers’ Story Week 2011, visit www.fathersstoryweek.org. Fill in your contact details and we will email you a login and password so you can access the FREE resources and start planning your events. The first 500 schools to register in response to this email will receive a FREE set of resources from Ladybird including 30 bookmarks, 30 stickers and a poster.

PS: Pre-order The Dad Factor - our new DVD guide to getting fathers involved in their children’s education – for just £12 plus VAT and P&P (20% discount). To benefit from this discounted rate, pre-order the DVD via our website shop before 31 March 2010. You will receive your CD within 28 working days.

With thanks and best wishes,

Fathers’ Story Week is supported by

Fatherhood Institute, Horsingtons Yard, Tiverton Place, Lion Street, Abergavenny, NP7 5PN.
Registered Charity No 1075104