The pastoral care of boys is our top priority, and the strong relationship between the school and parents is fundamental in making sure they receive the best care possible.
The annual Parent Partnership Conference celebrates this vital partnership and is central to the wider Parent Partnership. Thanks to the funding and support provided by our Parents’ Guild, we have hosted talks from doctors, authors, child psychiatrists and specialists in the field of parenting and child development, to support parents in navigating their son’s journey through the teenage years. 
A large contingent of parents joined us for the third Bedford School Parent Partnership Conference, which took place on Saturday 10 February. Aptly timed at the end of Children’s Mental Health Week, the conference began with an introduction from Lower Sixth Formers Ayo Odumuyiwa and Thomas Taylor. The boys talked eloquently and expressively about how greatly they value pastoral support. Both boys are members of the Pupil Citizenship Group that links into the Parent Partnerships, to ensure learnings are shared, and parents and staff are able to work together to support boys.
Breakout sessions followed including a talk from our previous Director of Digital Learning, Dr Albin Wallace, who spoke about ‘Teens and Screens’. Mrs Rachel Mellor, Head of Academic Support, delivered a talk on ‘Celebrating and Supporting Neurodiversity at Bedford School.’ Breakout talk three saw Amanda Horlick-Coutts Lead Counsellor, and Claire Collins, School Nurse, offering an insight into ‘Anxiety: What is it? What can cause it? And ways of dealing with it.’ Finally, the fourth talk was by Harriett Mather, Criminal Defence Solicitor, and Mrs Fiona Whiteman, Housemaster, who spoke on ‘Parties and Festivals/Alcohol and Drugs – Guidance and Legal Matters’.
A short break for refreshments allowed parents to reset their attention ready for this year’s keynote speaker, Dr Aric Sigman, who gave a hugely informative and engaging talk on ‘Teens and Addictive Behaviours: Screens, Gaming, Phones, Vaping and Alcohol’.
The keynote talk was followed with a panel discussion and the chance for parents to ask questions (anonymously by using a QR code if they preferred).
Finally, all parents attending the conference were invited to lunch in the Café Bar. It provided a great opportunity to digest their learnings and their own experiences.
Parents told us:
“The Parent Partnership feels like a very holistic approach, working together with the school, but also other families as well. It’s good to get together and chat about things in such a friendly support network because inevitably something will go wrong somewhere along the line, but at least we’re all a bit more forewarned.”
“It is helping us to better understand what the children are going through at different stages of their lives – the issues at school, but also their social and environmental outlooks, for example, things like social media as well as their friendship groups. It helps us to understand the problems and challenges that they have so we can help advise them as parents and adults.”
“I think the Parent Partnership is a useful resource for us as parents to help us navigate the teenage years. It helps me as a parent to know the school are there to help us as parents as much as they are to help the boys. The programme is helpful because it helps you feel like you’re not alone and that the school is going through the journey with you and your son.”
“This is now my third Parent Partnership Conference, and the information is very useful and very pertinent to the kind of things that are going on with my 16-year-old son. My husband and I get lots of pointers to use back at home, and I just think this is a great programme that Bedford School have put together.”
If you would like to find out more about Parent Partnership and upcoming events, take a look at our new Parent Partnership webpage.