Happiness and wellbeing
We asked parents what was most important to them about their child's learning journey and the overwhelming answer was happiness and wellbeing.
Parent View
Obviously happiness is a very individual thing and it depends on many factors, but there are tools that can help. Parent View is a website run by Ofsted which gives you access to information about how other parents have rated a school in terms of whether their child is happy there, feels safe and how well any concerns are dealt with. You can also add your own ratings to help parents in the future.
Common Concerns
Lots of parents have similar concerns about wellbeing and happiness, so to help we've gathered links to information and resources on key topics.
Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) and Online Safety
- Thinkuknow Developed by CEOP Developed by CEOP the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre to provide advice on online safety. Include pages designed for 5-7 year olds, 8-10 year olds, 11-16 year olds, parents and teachers.
- KnowaboutCSE is Staffordshire specific information and resources for parents and young people
- NSPCC Online safety advice about keeping your kids safe
- Safer Internet Organisation E-safety recommendations and tools
- Childnet Practical resources for getting your kids safety smart online
Starting school
Emotional Health
- YoungMinds is a charity committed to improving the emotional well-being of children, promoting and protecting good mental health for all young people.
- Mental Health Organisation Information and advice about depression, anxiety and conduct disorder in children and young people
- CAMHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services providing assessment and treatment services to children and young people aged 0-18
Alcohol, Drugs and Smoking
Other Useful Links
- Family Links is a national charity dedicated to empowering children, parents, families and schools to be emotionally healthy - they have some great downloadable resources for parents.
- Contact a Family provides help and advice to families caring for a disabled child or a child with specific health conditions.
- Disabled Parents Network is a membership organisation of and for disabled parents which operates a peer support/contact register that is open to all disabled parents.
- The Fatherhood Institute is a national support organisation for all dads. Some of its projects focus on helping fathers to support their children's learning.
- Family Lives (formerly Parentline Plus) is a national charity offering help and information for parents, carers and families via a range of services including a free 24-hour confidential helpline, workshops, courses, information leaflets, email and website.
- Working Families is a national charity offering a helpline and website advice for parents on carers on all their rights at work including maternity and paternity leave, flexible working, parental leave and in-work benefits.
- Gingerbread is a charity working with and on behalf of single parent families. They offer all kinds of support and advice from break-ups and grieving to returning to work. You'll find a wealth of material and fact sheets on their website as well as a dedicated freephone helpline.
Video: What to expect if your child gets into trouble at school, including what's expected from you.
Video Credit: Parent Channel
Video: Peer Pressure
Video Credit: Parent Channel