Offwell Primary School
Be well; Learn well; Live well; Offwell

Parent/Carer Advice - includes useful website links

Staying Safe

Where can I go to get support to help keep my child safe online?

There is a lot of support available to keep your child safe online. Below are some useful links to help parents and carers:

  • Internet matters (support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online)
  • LGfL (support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online)

Family and Relationships

  • Divorce Aid - advice for children and families going through a divorce.

Children and Young People

  • The Site - gives information on a wide range of issues affecting young people, including family problems.

Dads

  • Dad Info - an online community where you can share ideas find information and talk about the nitty-gritty of being a dad.

Single Parents

  • The Parenting Site for Single Parents - interactive parenting resources, support and a lively interactive online community for single parents from Single Parent Action Network.
  • Gingerbread - a charity that work nationally and locally for and with single parents to improve their lives. Information available about money, work, housing and benefits.
  • NetMums - a locally based social networking site connecting parents with each other.

Special Needs and Disabilities

Family Support

Bereavement

  • Child Bereavement UK - supports families when a child is bereaved.
  • Hope Again - website designed by young people for young people and aims to support people after the death of someone close.

Moving from Primary to Secondary School and School Issues

  • Family Links - a charity that promotes emotional literacy, nurturing and relationship skills.

Young People and Teenagers

  • Family Lives - Teenagers - a social networking site, run by Parentline Plus, giving advice to the parents of teenagers. Offers parent to parent support, informal advice, useful information and a community of other parents dealing with the same issues.
  • Talk To Frank - website for young people and their parents or carers providing a wealth of information relating to drug use. A link to local organisations that can provide a confidential service is available.
  • Family Planning Association - provides information to help young people, parents and carers make informed choices about sex.

Benefits and Money

  • Gov.UK Benefits - provides benefit and financial information, child benefit and tax credit advice and advice on how to manage money and debt
  • Working Families - helps children, working parents and carers and their employers find a better balance between responsibilities at home and work.

Early Years and Childcare

Talking with Your Child

How often do we really talk WITH our children? Not talking at them, or over them, but engaging in a proper conversation, where we show we are genuinely interested in them and want to listen to their ideas. This is important, because it shows we really care; we show them how to value other people’s perspectives and feelings and how listening and communication skills work, by modelling how to take turns in a conversation.

Another big reason is that, at different ages and stages, it is central to the job of being a parent or carer to have some key conversations. These should never be ‘one-offs’, so getting into the habit of touching base and catching up with what’s happening in your child’s life – perhaps on a walk, a drive, or at mealtimes – needs to be part of our daily routine. That way, when you ask:

  • What did you do today?
  • Is there anything you want to talk about?
  • How can I help?

Your child won’t look at you like something’s wrong and just clam up. Also, when they ask you:

  • What can I do about…?
  • Why are people unkind?
  • Where do babies come from?

…you will be ready. When you have established a relationship where you can talk honestly, positively and constructively together, these conversations happen naturally and you can feel okay about sometimes saying you don’t know (but you’ll find out). However, it can be difficult to know where to start, or what to say, so here is some advice to help with those key conversations as your child grows up:

Starting Primary Toolkit: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/groups/cx1lpm3ve37t

Talking about school: https://collaborativecbt.com/5-ways-talk-child-effectively/

Talking about online safety: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/talking-child-online-safety/

Helping your child cope with worries: https://www.bbc.co.uk/tiny-happy-people/articles/zhjbcqt

Talking about bullying: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/support-for-parents/dealing-with-bullying/?ac=218200

Talking about race and racism: https://www.verywellfamily.com/teaching-kids-about-race-and-cultural-diversity-621099

Talking about the news: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zqkfb7h

Talking about growing up: https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/talk-about-puberty.html

Starting Secondary Toolkit: Starting Secondary Toolkit for Pupils and Parents

Please let us know if your child shares something we can help with.

 

 

Pupil Premium / Free School Meal Support

We work in partnership with Atom Learning, the leading online Key Stage 2 learning and 11+ preparation platform, to provide Years 3 – 6 students who are eligible for Pupil Premium with free Atom Home accounts. Atom Home is normally £575.90 per year.

Atom Home allows children to access KS2 learning resources, they’ll be able to build exam technique, subject mastery and confidence.

If your child is between 7 – 11 and has been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years (please check with the school office if you are not sure), please fill in the form by clicking the button below.

https://atomlearning.com/pupil-premium/colyton-foundation-swift-partnership

For other families, there is a five-day free trial of Atom available: https://atomlearning.com/11-plus

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