The Płużnica commune (Kujawsko-Pomorskie province) has ca. 4200 inhabitants, and only one primary school, whose performance has been far below the provincial mean for a very long time. The facility management has made attempts to implement new solutions recommended by experts such as no homework, but so far it has only encountered opposition among parents and teachers with a more traditional approach to children’s education and development. But some parents prefer education in which effective teaching is built upon concern about pupils’ emotional wellbeing. Since they are in the minority, their voice is not sufficiently heard – they often do not talk about their ideas aloud, out of fear of being judged.
We will support these parents in such areas as communication, health, sexual education and ecology. We will target the project at 26 groups of parents and pupils from Płużnica and 4 individuals related to the local school (headmaster, teachers, representatives of the administrative body). They will take part in a training that will provide them with arguments in discussion on changes needed in school. They will meet regularly, learning how to get more involved in school life, and will jointly look for occasions to act. To experience real action and to promote their arguments, participants will implement 4 initiatives aiming at preventing problems that school is facing within the aforementioned areas. Coaching sessions will be held to help parents overcome difficulties and seek effective solutions. In the final phase of the project, together with our informal partners we will organise an Educational Forum targeted at commune inhabitants and people from the outside on changes proposed for the school.