10 tips for being a better parent: a headteacher writes

Welcome to the new school year, maybe the new school. Over the summer, stories made headlines when parents fell out spectacularly with schools – over paying for meals, or disappointing results. We headteachers really want to get on with all our families. Sometimes, though, we see the fallout of unwise parenting. We look at some children’s anxieties or difficult behaviour and we have an idea where it comes from. Mums and dads have learned their own foibles from their parents, so I would like to make a few suggestions about parenting, on behalf of schools … and children.
Parents: not happy about something at school? Here’s how to complain
Read more

1 Your children love you and look up to you. They copy what you do, so please set an example. If you act aggressively in everyday life, in the street or car park, that could be reflected in how your children behave – to their teachers, peers, or even to you. At school we try to set an example of politeness and consideration. If children tell their classmates to fuck off, they are not learning this from us.

2 Please show your children you care about them. I’m not talking about “I love you” all over the place. When your 11-year-old gets into the car after school, please get off your phone – she wants to tell you about her day. Please, ask her how it went, celebrate her successes, encourage her if she finds it difficult. Your child will do far better at school if she knows how important she is to you.

3 Your child needs sleep. Please ensure he goes to bed at a suitable time and take the devices out of the bedroom – do not let him stay on phones or tablets all night. Don’t buy your child the newest Xbox/PS4 game the week before his exams and then be surprised that he stays up all night to play it and bombs in the exam.

Read the full article here:  https://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/sep/06/10-tips-better-parent-headteacher