An Oldham school is looking to help families who need support and to access services which can give them the help they need.

The parental engagement team at The Oldham Academy North school held a coffee morning recently for parents and carers, with the aim of providing support to them on a variety of issues.  

The school arranged for a community engagement officer from Oldham Council to come along, with the officer engaging with families who might need support from the council and identify services that might be about to help them.  

The officer offered advice on a range of topics including, housing, finances, debt management, tackling anti-social behaviour, littering hot spots and the cost of living. 

They also spoke about places students and their families can seek emotional support if they are struggling. 

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Jessica Giraud, Headteacher at E-ACT The Oldham Academy North said:  “We know lots of families are struggling with the cost of living right now and we will do anything we can to help make sure our students are safe and secure. 

“I am pleased that we were able to have a Community Engagement Officer from the council come along to provide advice to parents and carers; a school should be a resource for all of the local community and we will continue to think about other ways we can support local people.” 

A range of free refreshments for those in attendance and also made sure that everyone who needed it had access to their foodbank, as the school holds a regular foodbank for its families on the last Friday of every month. 

Families experiencing hardship can visit the council's website to find guidance on a range of issues such as the cost of bills and food. 

People can also ring the Oldham Helpline for emergency support on 0161 770 7007, which is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.