In 2019 the Anna Freud Centre launched Supporting mental health and wellbeing in schools: engaging with all parents and carers. This free booklet has been developed by teachers, clinicians and parents and carers, including the Centre’s Parent Champions, to explore a range of innovative ways that schools can help children by successfully engaging with parents and carers. It includes tips as well as case studies that show both parents’ and schools’ perspectives.
Supporting schools to improve the health and wellbeing of children and young people
Working with parents
The whole school approach includes working in partnership with any adult who has a parenting role to improve the health and wellbeing of pupils.
A Healthy School is a welcoming school that actively includes parents as part of the whole school community. It encourages parental/carer involvement and provides the information and guidance that a parent/carer needs to support their child's health, wellbeing, happiness and overall educational success.
It achieves this through regular communication and by creating a range of opportunities for parents/carers to be involved in school activities. It will also use effective procedures for feedback, consultation, participation and complaints.
Parents may be involved in various school based activities and also engage with a range of support offered by the school including:
- consultation on PSHE education
- being a school governor
- helping with school sports activities
- helping to encourage healthy eating and other healthy behaviours
- the development and review of school policies
- parenting programmes
- family learning sessions
- information sessions for parents/carers
- signposting to national and locally available advice and support
- transistion projects
- celebration events
Some of our local support for parents and families includes
Family Learning offers a range of support, details of which can be found here. In simple terms Family Learning is about turning these three things into reality:
- Improving the skills and prospects of parents/carers
- Improving the achievements of children
- Helping parents/carers to understand how to support their children to learn and to value their role as their child’s first teacher
Wiltshire Council offers a range of parenting programmes that will be of interest to schools.
Health Trainers can work with adults to improve their general wellbeing, confidence and health through 1 to 1 support and by linking to other services and activities. The service is free of charge to anyone who is over 18. More information, including a referral form, here.
Healthy Me is a 10 week healthy lifestyle programme for children aged 7 to 11 and their families, who may be less active than recommended and above their healthy weight range.
Details of many other national and local organisations can be found on our links page.
Making Every Contact Count (MECC)
MECC is about supporting you to make the most of every opportunity you have with the people you come into contact with every day.
Home Run is a travel to school app for Wiltshire parents.
