13 years! That is the mandatory time kids in the UK are expected to spend in education. Of course, as a parent making sure they get the best experience both in terms of their achievement and their wellbeing is essential. Happily, you can get some info on how to provide this for them in my post below.
Picture sourced at Pixabay – License CC0
Choose the right institution.
First of all, if you want your child to get the best out of their school experience, you need to pick the right institution for them. Of course, where possible, your child will need to be involved in this decision, but as an adult, there are aspects of this choice you will be in a better position to make.
In particular, look at the league table results from the schools you are considering, as well as their latest Ofsted review. Also, if your child has special education needs, it is worth investigating to see whether the institution, like this school for autism, has any specialist provision for their condition. This being something that can help them not only achieve more but be emotionally healthy and happy during school as well.
Provide a healthy breakfast.
One straightforward thing that any parent can do to improve their child’s school experience is to provide a healthy breakfast each morning. In fact, making sure your kids have had a slow-releasing meal, and that they are hydrated before they arrive at school can make all the difference. Both their behaviour and their ability to concentrate.
Picture found at Pixabay – License CC0
Of course, getting everyone up, ready, fed, and out the door can be something of a challenge. Especially if you have a time that you need to be in work for as well. Luckily, there are some tactics you can use to get around this. One is providing breakfast bars or biscuits for the walk to school, something that will help them avoid buying sugary snacks and drinks. Also, some schools even have a breakfast club program. This being something can help set them up nutritionally.
Academic performance isn’t everything.
In fact, there are two ways to think about this. The first is that while studying at school is essential, so is the social and other aspects of the school environment providers. In fact, for most kids, this is where they will make the most important friendships in their formative years. Therefore encouraging them to go beyond just turning up to do extracurricular stuff is a very worthwhile option.
Additionally, I think as parents, we do need to be careful not to overwhelm our kids with stress. Yes, they must reach their potential. However, comparing them to everyone else in the class and making failure unacceptable can be counterproductive.
After all, not everyone can be amazing at every single subject there is. In fact, some would argue that there is more value in teaching kids to manage their emotional well being, than demand As across the board. The reason being that this too can have a significant positive effect on the quality of their life both while they are in school, and in later years.
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