At Bedford School, we recognise that the pastoral care of our boys is at its best when there is effective communication between all those involved. With this in mind, we created the Parent Partnership Programme to share insight, support and information with parents that works alongside the PHSCE curriculum (Citizenship) that forms part of the boys’ learning.
The Parent Partnership aims to support parents in navigating their son’s journey through the teenage years by providing and signposting guidance, articles, websites and books and offering a programme of talks and workshops throughout the school year, covering a variety of pastoral topics which affect the lives of teenagers and about which parents may wish to learn more.
We hope you find this guidance helpful and look forward to seeing many of you at the events across the year.
Mrs Fiona Whiteman
Parent Partnership Lead
“The success of our Parent Partnership is a powerful demonstration of our whole community working together for the good of the boys. It embodies our collective commitment to supporting each other in developing good men, ready to face a challenging and changing world.”
Upcoming Events
A Zoom talk on supporting, motivating, and preparing your son for school exams. Date to be advised.
Preparing your son (and yourself) for his life after leaving school. Date to be advised.
Dr Maryhan, founder of the not-for-profit ‘One Million Moments’ campaign and podcaster, will talk about how to raise confident, resilient children on Saturday 21 September at 9.30am.
Past Events & Resources
In the years that we have been running the Parent Partnership Programme, we have welcomed a wealth of inspirational and expert speakers to the school. They have offered insight, support and advice on everything from teenage mental health to fostering resilience to how to have those difficult conversations and much more.
“I just wanted to thank you again for bringing together such a superb panel for the Parent Partnership Conference. It has really helped to underpin all the issues of parenting teenagers and I can’t thank you enough for this.”
Accessing further advice and support
Young Minds
Young Minds is a charity whose mission is to stop young people’s mental health reaching crisis point. Whether they need a reassuring conversation, specialist mental health support, or simply the knowledge that they are not alone in how they are feeling, Young Minds aims to ensure that all young people get support as quickly as possible.
Talk to Frank
Talk to Frank is the go-to website to learn everything you need to know about drugs, their effects and the law. Talk to Frank for facts, support and advice on drugs and alcohol today.
Daniel Spargo-Mabbs Foundation
The Daniel Spargo-Mabbs Foundation works with young people, parents, teachers and professionals in schools, colleges and community groups using our evidence-based, multi-component drug and alcohol programme, developed in line with best practice for the most effective outcomes.
Get Safe Online
Get Safe Online provides unbiased, factual and easy-to-understand information on online safety and, in the link below, advice if your child is aged 13 or over.
NSPCC
The NSPCC is the UK’s leading children’s charity, preventing abuse and helping those affected to recover. They also offer parenting tips for all stages of your child’s life, as well as advice on how to deal with difficult situations.
Brook
Brook operates a number of sexual health and wellbeing services across the UK. They are committed to supporting young people, and the majority of services are for people under 25.