50 Things to Do: Parents as Partners Project
Parents as Partners Project Summary
Parents as Partners (PaP) is a three-year research project, supported by the KPMG Foundation, exploring how effectively 50 Things to Do strengthens practitioner–parent relationships and the home learning environment. Over its lifetime the project aims to engage 600 children and their families across three wards in Bradford — Holmewood, Manningham & Girlington, and Keighley Central. This report shares the insights from its first year (2024–2025).
Download the full report (PDF, 16 pages)
What the Project Set Out to Do
Working in partnership with parents and carers is central to the Early Years Foundation Stage, and research shows that involving parents in their child's learning significantly improves children's outcomes. The project gathers evidence around four key research aims:
Year One in Numbers
In the first phase, recruitment focused on Private, Voluntary and Independent (PVI) settings, childminders and school-based providers supporting children aged 0–5. Of the 21 settings consulted, 16 joined the project — six from Manningham & Girlington, six from Holmewood and four from central Keighley.
Early Insights
- Settings reported increased parental engagement and improved attendance
- Improvements in children's speech and language through discussing activities done at home
- Settings tailored initiatives to their community — including a "Woodland Wandering" trip for dads
- Ludic the Monkey introduced as a home learning resource linking home and setting
- Top barriers to play identified: safe spaces, language barriers, mental health and time
It is too early to measure the long-term impact on data, but these early signs are encouraging. The Education Endowment Foundation notes that effective early parental engagement can boost children's progress by up to five months. One school-based nursery reported its best attendance across the whole school after embedding 50 Things.
"Introducing Ludic has been a wonderful catalyst for our parent partnerships. It has helped families see the immense educational value in simple, playful activities, empowering them to become more confident and engaged partners in their child's learning and development at home." — Maintained Nursery School
The Bradford Context
The project focuses on three neighbourhoods in Bradford — a youthful, richly diverse city recognised as UK City of Culture 2025 — where educational inequalities are particularly concentrated. By working in Manningham & Girlington, Holmewood and central Keighley, the project aims to better understand how to support children and families in disadvantaged circumstances, while building on the strengths within these communities.
Looking Ahead
The first year has strengthened relationships between practitioners and families, promoted home learning and built community connections. The next phase will extend to feeder primary schools, tracking children's transition into Reception to assess whether the impact of 50 Things is sustained over time.