In the Community

In this section

We are a fully committed community school. We work with several local schools and support organisations to provide our children and families with the best possible opportunities. We have close links to the nearby Deckham Family Hub. The Deckham Family Hub offers a full programme of activities for all ages from birth onwards. The link below will give you some indication of the wide range of activities and support services available.

Deckham Family Hub

We run a range of community activities for example:

ESOL (Learning English as a secondary or additional language).

Family Nurture – Parenting courses to support parents and carers at home.

We also incorporate a range of community events throughout the year for example Family Eid celebrations, film nights, craft activities to name but a few. These are advertised in school.

Family Support

Our school is lucky to have our amazing family support worker, Susan Mulhatton, supporting the children and their families. Susan has a background in health and social care services and is an invaluable source of advice and support to our families. She can help you with any worries that you may have in relation to your child’s education, behaviour and wellbeing. She is also available as someone impartial to talk to if you need it.

Susan can meet with you at home or in school at a time that suits yourself. Advice and support is confidential although concerns relating to the safeguarding of children will always be dealt with in accordance with the school’s Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy and Keeping Children Safe in Education documentation. Susan is skilled at finding answers and signposting families to available support.

Support for pupils includes:

promoting good attendance and punctuality
promoting self-esteem and confidence
promoting positive behaviour and positive attitudes to learning
promoting positive emotions
providing one-to-one support

Support for families includes:

providing information and signposting to other services in the local area
providing support financially and help to access grants
liaising with a range of external services such as Housing and Social Care
assistance in completing paperwork and forms e.g. housing, special educational needs, school places and benefits
attendance and support at school and other agency meetings
advice and support in promoting positive behaviour at home
guidance with career and personal development and access to training and workshops in school

How to get in touch:

Susan is normally based in school every morning: Monday to Thursday from 8:30am to 4:15 and is available to speak to throughout the day.

Please call the school office at on 0191 4773993 to make an appointment or pop in and she will be happy to see you as soon as she can.

Susan can also be contacted us at school on our email:

southstreetcommunityprimaryschool@gateshead.gov.uk

School Toddler Group:

This is suitable for all children 0-4 and is held on Tuesdays (2:15pm- 3:15pm). This will run every Tuesday in term time. We will be working in partnership with the Deckham Children’s hub. Susan will be supporting this group.

It will involve a range of messy play opportunities and give parents a chance to meet. We

are very excited to offer this group to the community and hope we have lots of children

attend. Please see Susan if you require further information.

If you need support or advice in any of the following areas please come in and speak to Susan. This could include:

Struggling with finances and making ends meet.
Accessing the right housing or benefits that we are entitled to.
Support for those in an abusive relationship and need help to understand my options.
Struggling to make and maintain boundaries with my child/ren at home and I want to learn how to do this effectively.
My child is diagnosed with a Neuro-Divergent condition, ASC/ASD/ADHD and I need help to understand this and how to help them.
Someone in our family struggles with addiction and I want help to keep my child/ren safe.
Support for myself and other members of my family to communicate more effectively so that there are consistent boundaries, and we are on the same page regarding the children.
I’m not sure what help I need but I could do with a chat about what’s going on for our family because I’m struggling to cope and I’m not sure what to do.

Susan can also help you with your child in these areas too:

My child is hanging round with older children /young people and I’m worried about them staying safe.
I would Like my child to access support to understand Neuro Divergence (ASC and ADHD) and how it affects them.
I would like my child to learn about online safety and risks associated with social media and online gaming
I would like my child to speak to someone in school because I’m worried about their mental wellbeing
I would like my child to access safety focused and age-appropriate information about Drugs and Alcohol
I think my child is being bullied / is bullying others and needs support with this
A family member is in prison and my child needs help to understand this and how they feel about it

The aim is to ensure that we have the best support possible for students and families who need it, and that support is as accessible, timely and effective as it can be. We therefore also work with: