FAST (Families and Schools Together) is an award-winning project that supports parents, schools and communities to make sure children from deprived areas have the chance to do well at school.

As well as improving children’s performance in school, the programme also improves children’s behaviour and brings children and their parents closer together. Weekly sessions include coaching parents to lead activities in which children take turns, listen to rules, answer questions and to do as their parents ask, and also to play with their children and share a family meal together.

FAST now operates in thousands of schools in more than 14 countries and Save the Children is introducing it to schools throughout Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England.

Over half of children in the most disadvantaged areas fall behind at the age of five compared to just over a quarter of children from better off areas, and many never catch-up. Children from deprived areas are half as likely to get five decent GCSE results as children from better off areas.

Dr. Lynn McDonald, Professor of Social Work at Middlesex University and the FAST Programme Founder, said: “Children love having their parents come into their classroom and to have the chance to play with them, and that in turn motivates them to pay attention and do better at school. Parents love seeing their children laugh and also getting to know other parents of their children’s friends.”