Parent Carer Working Group
How to get involved in the Parent & Carer Working Group
Dear Parents and Carers of West Hove Infants and Hove Juniors,
You may have heard mention of a Parent & Carer Working Group (PCWG) over the past few weeks. This is a new and exciting opportunity for parents to get really involved with the school – to support the school to better engage with the wider community, promote learning and enrichment activities and fundraise. To learn more about who the Parent & Carer Working Group are – see here.
Hove Learning Federation is facing a range of challenges, including financial challenges, and parents can really play a role in helping the school to overcome these. The school urgently needs funding and support, so projects to deliver this are being set up by the working group and we now need parents who can get involved and help run some of these projects. This includes things like finding potential funding grants, developing partnerships with local businesses, running community fundraising events, better marketing, and advertising of the school to prospective parents. We are also looking to run things like cultural learning events at school and have parents who can help with general school building maintenance and gardening – there are lots of ways to get involved!
So how can you get involved? And share your ideas?
3 ways to get involved:
* Parent Database
The parent database is a list of parent’s and carer’s skills and how much time they can contribute to the school. This database will be used to help us directly match parents and carers with volunteering projects that they ey might want to get involved in.
Click Here – to add your details to the database.
* Ideas Form
Got a great idea for the school? Fill out the form and if you can run the project, get cracking on it. If you need support from the school or volunteers we can work with you to plan this out.
Click Here – to submit an Idea
* Parent Working Group WhatsApp
We have set up a WhatsApp Community Group for the Parent & Carer Working Group so that we can continue conversions in one place while we get set up. This WhatsApp group will be used to publish volunteering opportunities and discuss projects. The main chat will not contain too much chatter – discussion will mostly happen in the project-specific groups (which you will be added to once you become part of a project).
Click Here – to join the PWG community group
Together we can help support the school – so please get involved!
Who We Are
Elizabeth Penner
Parent at West Hove Infants, Holland Road
I moved to Brighton to study at the University of Sussex and, 20 years later, I am still here! The city has become my home and my love for it has been renewed through the eyes of my daughter. In September 2024, she joined West Hove Infants where she is thriving in its supportive environment. Perhaps what I didn’t expect was that as a parent, I would also become part of an active parent and carers community. I have gained so much from those initial interactions at school gates and quickly realised that we wanted to become more involved in this very unique group. In January 2025, I joined the Holland Road PTA and have really enjoyed being able to work with the school and meet other parents, carers and children from across the infant and junior schools.
When the idea of a Parent and Carer Working Group (PCWG) was introduced, I was excited to see yet another opportunity to contribute to the School. In doing so, I have met so many knowledgeable, kind and creative people who all share the common goal of supporting our specific schools within the Hove Learning Federation. My role in this initial leadership group is to help set up a working framework and to raise awareness of the group. As the PCWG continues to take shape, we are already seeing parent and carer engagement extend through special project groups– but there’s scope for so much more! I look forward to seeing how the network expands through different initiatives that reflect the rich and diverse community.
Jonas Lindert
Parent at West Hove Infants and Hove Junior, School Road
I moved to Brighton in 2019, drawn by the proximity to the sea and the positive vibe that makes this city so special. In the years since making this our home, I've come to appreciate the unique energy of our local community.
What really inspired me to get more involved was witnessing the incredible community spirit during last year's campaign. Seeing parents with different backgrounds come together with such dedication made me realise I wanted to be part of this collective effort to support our children's education.
With my enthusiasm for STEM and science outreach, I'm excited to contribute to enriching learning experiences at the school. I believe that nurturing curiosity and scientific thinking from an early age creates wonderful opportunities for children to explore and understand the world around them.
I look forward to collaborating with other parents and the School, setting up the structure of the PCWG, and helping to create an environment where all our children can thrive and develop their full potential.
Kim Steggles
Parent at West Hove Infants, Holland Road
I moved to Brighton because as a town it has a warm, friendly, inclusive and welcoming feel to it. When choosing a school, those qualities were very important to me.
When we joined the school I hadn’t planned to get this involved early on. But being made aware of the struggles the schools were having, I knew I wanted to do something to support them. The Parent & Carer Working Group, for me, felt like something I could get involved in, as it matched my skill set and availability.
I've joined the leadership team, as I not only want to see the children thrive, I want to ensure that the teachers have the support and access to materials they need, that will allow them to design and create learning experiences that enrich and expand the curriculum. Working with Hove Learning Federation’s Leadership team, parents and carers have been able to work together (through consultation) on a joint vision that has allowed us to lead with curiosity and integrity.
I want to ensure that every child (mine included) at the school gets the best opportunities and experiences they possibly can. That's why for me the Parent & Carer Working Group is really important and will become not only an asset to the school, but to the community, and a shining example to other schools as well.
We're already seeing the benefits of what happens when we bring parents and carers together to support the school, and use the varied skill sets we are lucky to have amongst us. From parents helping with music, to designing a more creative space for the outside classroom, to improving the websites, to trimming hedges - plus all the other amazing ideas that are sent to us or discussed with the school.
I'm looking forward to seeing what else we can achieve together.
Gabbi Naylor
Parent at Hove Junior, Holland Road
My daughter joined Hove Junior at the beginning of Year 3 and the school’s approach to her settling has been nurturing, responsive and considered since day one.
I knew as soon as I walked through the corridors of the school that there was something really special happening behind each classroom door. And the approach HLF has to learning and enriching each child’s individual school experience is clear to see in the passion of every teacher and member of the Senior Leadership team.
Whilst actively involved in this PTA at Holland Road and at my daughter's previous school, I did notice an opportunity emerge through the academisation consultation. That parents and carers and grandparents and local community members are not only that. We each have a unique point of view and skill set we can bring to the school community. And many have time they want to dedicate too.
And I'm excited to see how we can set that up in the Parent Carer Working Group. So that all members of the school community can bring their ideas, enthusiasm and expertise to the school door to enhance the learning experience within it.
Hove Learning Federation is unique, as (one of) the largest primary schools in the country. And with funding challenges I'm hopeful it's something we can solve as a collective.
I bring experience in communications and community building to the team.
Jessica Weir
Parent at West Hove Infants School Road
Having lived in Poets Corner on and off since I was 10 and just a stone throw away from Hove Learning Federation, School Road site, I've seen what an important part of the local community the school is. Members of my family have attended the school over the years including my husband some 30 odd years ago and most recently my daughter!
Hove Learning Federation schools are really special and while I was opposed to the proposal to become an academy, I am really keen to see our brilliant schools continue to thrive and provide the best education and care for our children.
I believe that one important way we can do this is by mobilising the community around the school, and capitalising on the investment and expertise of parents. This is why I joined other parents to reach out to Maddie Southern and Sam Ledger to start shaping more ways parents could help support the school.
So far it's been fantastic - seeing how parents come together to support the school - ranging from providing a van to transport the ‘big make’ to the children’s parade in May to conducting a full website audit, assessing local awareness of school sites and coming up with a whole host of activities to promote the visibility of the Holland Road site.
Our focus now as a PCWG leadership team is to build the initial structure for the working group and try to prove this idea can work! We hope to raise more awareness, attract more parents and ensure this PCWG truly represents all parents of the Hove Learning Federation.