Rarely seen inside the school gate, they are a notoriously hard-to-reach group.

But these are not troubled youngsters playing truant or among the growing tide of disaffected teenagers dropping out - they are fathers.

The few who do venture inside the school gates are often subject to suspicious looks from over-protective mothers.

However, in a groundbreaking project in Dumfriesshire, Sanquhar Primary School created Scotland’s first Men’s Group to encourage fathers to become more involved…

The charity Children in Scotland is holding the group up as a model of good practice, and experts say ensuring dads are involved is best for all kids…

Steve Harvey, development and information officer for the fatherhood project at Children in Scotland, said the Sanquhar group has sparked interest across the country.

“Comprehensive research shows boys and girls who have positive male figures in their lives do better at school, are less likely to be involved in the criminal justice system and have more healthy lives. Some children can get to secondary school before they have any contact with a positive male figure.”

Professor Donald Christie, of Strathclyde University’s department of childhood and primary studies, agreed fathers play a crucial role.

“There is no doubt that the more a child’s parents are actively involved in, and engaged with, their children’s education, the better it is for their child…

Source: Scotsman, United Kingdom
http://news.scotsman.com/education.cfm?id=1650342007