Preparing your teenager for #University - a few tips for #parents

Phew! Those all-important A level results are in the bag and your teenager is excitedly preparing to move on to the next stage of their life, by starting university in the Autumn. Here are a few tips to support parents in preparing them, so you can sleep slightly easier, once they have flown the nest.

1. Help them to familiarise themselves with the town or city where they will be studying including the campus layout, location of faculty teaching blocks, public transport, location of the supermarket etc. A visit a few weeks before they start might help with this.
2. Do everything you can to assist them to secure a place in a hall of residence. Being among other ‘Freshers' in a hall of residence, rather than a rented house during year one, will make finding their way around and meeting new friends easier and give a gentler acclimatisation into University life, especially if they have, to date, been living at home.
3. Help them to plan the clubs and societies they will join during Freshers' week. University is a fabulous opportunity to try a huge variety of new and exciting sports and activities and those who get fully involved from the outset will make new friends and hence settle quickest.
4. Organise their finances by opening a bank account. Shop around for the one that is offering the best student incentives and ideally chose one which has a branch located close to the university or even better on campus.
5. Spend some time going through the importance of budget planning and monitoring cash-flow carefully. Advise against credit cards and un-authorised overdrafts.
6. If the timetable structure of their course looks like there might be time for some part-time work to supplement their student loan, help them to get a CV and application letter ready and to start to research places where they might seek employment once in situ. Talk them through body language and basics of interview technique. Reliability, looking respectable and a friendly personality will be the key factors to get across. Review pictures and comments on their Facebook page as many potential employers will now review these before taking on young people.
7. Have some fun in the kitchen helping your teenager with planning and cooking healthy meals on a budget. Reproducing some of mum’s home-cooked dishes for new friends will be a positive way to cope with homesickness in the early stages.
8. Have a serious chat about safety, keeping gadgets and tech safe, managing drink, turning down drugs and coping with peer pressure to do things which they may feel are out of their comfort zone.
9. Find out what the local GP arrangements are for students and register them.
10. Advise against taking too many possessions with them for the start of the first term. Some things are essential, but having too much will cramp their living space and be too hard to keep track of. Homely but uncluttered is best. Valuables should be minimal. Make sure key items are covered by appropriate insurance.
11. Advise against taking a car until they have seen where they will be living and investigated the parking arrangements. If they do chose to take a car, drink-driving should be discussed.
12. A bike is a good investment and don’t forget lights and a high-vis top.
13. A laptop with a good size screen will be crucial. Consider getting a separate mouse, keyboard and ensure they have the latest up-to-date software. Consider how their work will be backed-up and a few USB sticks might come in handy.
14. Agree how you will keep in touch. Email, text, mobile, Skype. Give them space to explore this exciting new stage of their life, but explain your need to hear from them every once in a while, to be reassured they are happy and safe.

For advice on choosing the right course and applying to University through UCAS please call our team of consultants on 01865 522 066
Visit our website for more information via the link.  http://independenteducationconsultants.co.uk/applying-to-uk-university/

10 reasons to #volunteer to be guardian to an international pupil at #boarding #school

1. An opportunity for your own children to make new friends and to learn about other countries and cultural understanding, in preparation for working in a Global world.
2. To encourage your own child to share and to consider the needs of others.
3. To fill the ‘empty nest’ and stay young when your own children have perhaps gone off to university or left home.
4. To become involved in the school life of a young person, supporting them through attendance at school matches, concerts, parents’ evenings.
5. To get to know a particular boarding school, as you may be considering in future for your own children.
6. To provide reassurance and build lasting friendships with international families overseas.
7. To feel a sense of pride and a warm glow, knowing you are making a real difference to the life of a young person, when their own parents are so far away.
8. To enjoy the company of a young person and have an excuse to go to all the children’s films at the cinema, Legoland or Harry Potter World.
9. To put your spare bedroom to good use.
10. To learn how to make sushi like the Japanese.

What is a Guardian Family?

Children studying at UK boarding schools whose parents live overseas require a UK-based guardian family, who live close to the school, to offer them accommodation at their exeat weekends and half term holidays, as well as act as their ‘English family’ to be there in case of emergency, monitor their academic study, be the friendly face at the airport that welcomes them back to the UK at the start of each term and ensure they are well-settled and happy.

Guardian families come in all shapes and sizes from large families, couples without children or children who have flown the nest, retired couples to single mums. All have a common interest in offering care and support to children and teenagers from overseas. All you need is a little time and a spare room in your home

What does the role of Guardian Family entail?

The child will be living in a boarding house at school during the term-time and will return home to their parents during the long holidays at Christmas, Easter and over the summer holiday. The guardian family will be required to do the following:

Provide a bedroom within your caring home for the child at exeat weekends and half terms. Schools usually have one exeat weekend each side of half term, so during each term, this usually amounts to two weekends and a week during half term. Sometimes an overnight stay is required at the start or end of term, where flight times do not fit with school term dates.

Acting as the key contact with the Houseparents and tutor, to make sure the child is making good progress at school, discuss and resolve any issues and to confirm arrangements when exeat weekends and half terms are approaching.

Being there quickly if an emergency situation arises such as accident, illness, suspension or an incident which requires the school to close temporarily.

Attending school parents’ evenings and reporting back to the parents or The Guardian Family Network staff team on progress.

Attending school concerts and sports matches to offer support to the child as and when appropriate. (How much you do this is left to the guardian’s discretion and it depends on the individual talents and extra-curricular involvement of the child.)

Communicating successes and concerns to or The Guardian Family Network staff team or the child’s parents back home.

Communication

Communication and being well-organised is a vital element of acting as a guardian family. The experienced staff team at the Guardian Family Network will be on hand to offer you support and guidance should you have any worries or concerns while the child is in your care. We can also assist you if there are any teething problems while the child is settling in, or further down the line if things are not as you expected.

You will also be in regular communication with the Houseparents and tutor at the boarding school, The Guardian Family Network staff team and the child’s parents or their representative, if the parents do not speak English.

An ability to respond promptly to telephone calls and email is vital and having access to Skype is a useful way for the child to keep in touch with home.

If you are interested in finding out more please call us on 01865 522066 or for details of where in the UK we are looking for guardian families at present, please visit our website http://guardianfamily.co.uk/where-do-we-need-families/

Choosing the right #school when your child has leaning difficulties #parents #edchat

I have had conversations with five families this week regarding choosing the right senior school for children with various learning difficulties from dyslexia to dyspraxia to Asperger’s. They all start their research via school gate tips from helpful friends who are keen to share their views, often fashioned by the parent grapevine and personal experience. However, when your child has learning difficulties, it’s important to consider schools which will best support their individual needs, rather than just short-listing via league tables or brand names.

It’s so important your chosen school has the resources to challenge and stretch your child’s capabilities and interests, as well as offer relevant, experienced support where needed. Consider updating your child’s educational psychologist report. This helps schools to review their needs as part of the application process, as well as giving valuable guidance on how to best support their learning.

When visiting potential schools, be honest. Withholding information regarding difficulties may lead to problems later. Don’t be too concerned if there are other children with similar learning difficulties. Your child will gain in confidence through feeling they are not the only one finding things tricky, rather than perhaps feeling like the odd one out.

Do you warm to the SENCO? This person will become one of your key contacts regarding progress. It’s important you find them approachable, knowledgeable and understanding. 

Ask how often your child’s individual education plan will be reviewed and if necessary amended?

Is learning support delivered one-to-one, in small groups or within the classroom? What training do teachers have in supporting children with learning needs within the classroom? Is technology used to support those with difficulties?

Does the school use streaming or setting for classes or are they mixed ability? If your child excels in maths but has difficulties with English, it’s important they will be both challenged and offered additional support, where appropriate.

If your child has difficulty with organisation skills, what systems are in place to assist them to manage their belongings? How much movement is there between classrooms and how easy is it to navigate the school campus?

Will I have opportunities to meet other parents? A supportive parent community with whom you can discuss your worries regarding your child with like-minded parents can be of great value in assisting you to understand your child’s needs better and to have access to support and a listening ear when things appear difficult.

To read our weekly tips to support parents with making the right school choices as well as applying to university, follow us on Twitter by clicking the following link https://twitter.com/CatherineStoker

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10 things to do this summer, to prepare your child for their new senior school in September #parents #boardingschool

Families across the UK are breathing a sigh of relief. July means another education milestone has been successfully navigated. Senior school entry exams are done and dusted for another year and places for September are confirmed. On the flip-side, the summer holiday now looms with the challenge of settling into a new school environment at the end.

Here are 10 tips to prepare your child over the summer, so they are ready to hit the ground running in the larger, more independent, hectic environment at senior school.

1. Keep their brain ticking over with reading books from the local library, visits to art galleries and museums, doing puzzles, playing scrabble, subscribing to online maths programmes etc.
2. Review joining information now. Return forms in plenty of time. There may be first-come-first-served timetabling choices to make, such as which extra language or musical instrument to take up, or booking in a mouthguard fitting.
3. Run through the pupil handbook together to establish daily routine and rules. Getting into trouble in the first few weeks will be a set-back in the settling in process.
4. Look over the extra-curricular programme, discussing which have most appeal. Planning school runs and other family commitments will be easier if you have an idea of when school commitments might be.
5. Request email and phone numbers are circulated amongst form or house groups. Make contact with other families to arrange joint activities over the summer. Starting a new school alongside familiar faces is far less daunting.
6. Gradually increase independence, for example catching the bus to the local shopping centre to meet friends for a couple of hours.
7. Be firm on time-keeping and give advice about keeping themselves and valuables safe. Encourage your child to act responsibly and solve problems themselves.
8. If boarding for the first time, practise housekeeping skills such as keeping a tidy bedroom, keeping track of possessions, changing a duvet cover and putting clothes into the laundry daily.
9. Buy new uniform as soon as is practical, bearing in mind summer growth spurts. Leaving this until the last week of the holiday means items are more likely to be out of stock and the shops will be insanely busy with those doing everything at the last-minute. Name everything clearly and securely, including techy gadgets, chargers, trainers and in particular sports kit, which often tends to disappear.
10. If starting a new sport such as lacrosse, hockey or rugby, book a pre-season summer course to get to grips with some of the skills before term starts. This will boost confidence and give them a head-start in September.

For advice on choosing the right senior school please contact us to speak with one of our expert education consultants. Call 01865 522066 or email consultants@independenteducationconsultants.co.uk

Top 10 tips for parents if you discover your child is being bullied online #antibullyingpro #edchat

At the Education Festival which took place over the weekend at Wellington College, I attended an excellent seminar run by the leaders of the Anti-Bullying Ambassadors programme in conjunction with Facebook. Their peer mentoring programme raises awareness and coaches young people in how to identify and address bullying issues in their school. For more information visit the website www.antibullyingpro.com Although a reasonably new initiative, it is already run in over 600 schools countrywide as part of the Diana Award, which encourages and empowers young people to engage in social action www.diana-award.org.uk

It was quite mind boggling to hear that one third of 3 to 4 year olds are now online via a PC and 5 to 15 year olds use of tablets has tripled since 2012 (Ofcom) 

With this in mind, I thought their top tips about how best to support your child if they tell you they are being bullied online might be a useful thing to share.

1. Praise and thank them for telling you. Reassure them and keep calm.
2. Ask them how long it has been going on and if they are happy to show you.
3. Ask them how it made them feel and discuss how they would like to resolve. Their buy-in to the suggested solution is important.
4. Screen shot the evidence. You may need your child to show you how to do this as all devices are different.
5. Block the person who sent the comments.
6. Explain the importance of not retaliating, no matter how much you feel inside that you would like to go and ring the person’s neck.
7. Change the password. They gave an excellent analogy-treat your password like your tooth-brush. Change it regularly and don’t share it with anyone.
8. Check who their information is shared with, if necessary changing the privacy settings.
9. Make the school aware of the issues, if your child is happy to do so and agree a plan as to how the problem will be addressed and the timescales.
10. If the comments are threatening, inform the police.

Other sites they recommended for information about preventing online bullying were www.facebook.com/safety/bullying or UK Safer Internet Centre http://www.saferinternet.org.uk

Tips for securing a #graduate job

As the class of 2014 finish their degree courses and another group of rose coloured spectacle wearing students leave university with ambitions to secure that perfect job, what practical ‘nag free’ advice can parents share to help them in their quest?

Online job boards are one way to find and apply for vacancies; however these have a huge audience and hence will attract large numbers of applications. Seek out less obvious opportunities. Build a network of contacts within the private sector industry that appeals to you by attending events, as well as asking around your current network to see where possible introductions could be useful. As well as targeting large Companies, research which smaller businesses are thriving in the same market-place, as they may be more open to a personal approach.

Once you have identified companies which appear to be growing or expanding show initiative through writing concise speculative emails or letters to them. Always address them to a relevant person, identify the key skills you can offer and put a strong case for how you can add to their business. Include a paragraph about why you are interested in their company, one to highlight your key skills as relevant to them and suggest a meeting.

If you are offered an internship opportunity make sure you will be doing work that is building relevant employability skills and that the position is within a known Company whose name will enhance your CV. Making tea and filing for months on end, will do little to motivate or enhance your ability to sell yourself at future interviews.

When making applications, match your CV to the skills required by the job description. In no more than two pages, highlight key skills, work experience and achievements, emphasise leadership, problem-solving and team-working skills and mention the core elements of your degree and how these will contribute to your effectiveness within this position.

Review online footprint and use privacy settings to make sure that there are no skeletons in the closet that could affect a potential employers’ assessment of you as a potential candidate. Start to build a more professional online presence by completing a profile on LinkedIn for example, listing your key skills, qualifications, work experience and interests. Don’t forget to add a business-like photo. Make constructive, engaging comments in relevant forums; write guest posts on relevant blogs, so you start to build some kind of recognition in the areas that interest you.

Hopefully the above will open some doors to realistic opportunities and then all you will need to do is prepare properly for interview!

If you need advice and support regarding making applications for graduate jobs, please contact our team of education consultant experts who will be very happy to assist you. More details about our consultants via our website http://independenteducationconsultants.co.uk/sasha-wellings

The value of ‘the extended day’ in an all-round education for each child as an individual

I recently had a conversation with the Headmaster of the local non-selective Free School –Sir Thomas Fremantle Secondary School. Part of their USP is that all children must take part in the extended day programme. Although formal lessons finish at 3pm, as they do in most state secondary schools, there is a compulsory enrichment programme that runs until 430pm. As a result over half of the children learn a musical instrument, the after school sporting programme is extensive, children have the opportunity to learn Italian, Spanish or Mandarin or to use the 3D printers and iPad to take part in various art, design and technology activities. Additionally teachers offer homework clinics for those who need a bit of extra support with their learning.

In summary, that is 7.5 hours extra time per week where children are engaged in structured in-school activities to grow self-esteem, develop social and communication skills or to just extend their creativity and knowledge.

In contrast to a commonly held view that the extended day is unpopular with pupils, the children appear to thrive on meeting the challenges of these additional opportunities. Proof, I suppose, that children will work at the level of the challenges you put in front of them. Setting the bar and hence expectation higher means they will strive to participate and achieve more. This type of culture brings them up with the belief that accepting average or just ticking over to deliver the bare minimum is not an option, particularly where boys are concerned. A sound lesson for success in future life, in my view.

Parents on the other hand have the advantage of a guaranteed longer working day during term-time, leaving more quality family time at the evenings and weekends. Less parent taxi service since activities are offered in situ. There are no concerns that mum’s day may suddenly have to be rearranged due to a cancelled sports fixture or after school club, since this is all delivered as part of the compulsory timetabled school day.

So how can parents with children at other schools learn from this model? My advice would be to take a refreshed look at the optional after school programme offered by your child’s school. Discuss what is on offer and encourage your child to get involved in something new. Enthuse about the value of an all-round education, highlighting the benefits they will reap when it comes to making a higher education or job application upon leaving school. It might mean taking a different approach to the school run or lift shares, but these are only logistics which are easily solved with a bit of creative thinking.

Come on parents, let’s commit to encouraging our children to put their smartphones down for a few hours and make an effort to engage more fully in some of the hugely valuable and extensive extra-curricular opportunities offered by our schools. Whether optional or compulsory, let’s get children more involved!

Catherine Stoker is Managing Director of the Independent Education Consultants, offering timely advice for parents on all aspects of education.

From choosing a school, transition at 7+, 11+, 13+ and 16+ to career planning and applying to university, they have a team of education experts who collectively have years of experience in offering advice and guidance to parents.

For more details about their services and how they support parents in making the right education choices, visit their website. www.independenteducationconsultants.co.uk