screens , with children now spending on average three hours and 20 minutes a day on tablets , smartphones and games consoles outside of school . Some children are spending more time on screens than they do at school .
We can ’ t ignore this issue and Parentkind has led calls for a smartphone ban for under 16s . Tinkering won ’ t do , we need to send a clear message backed by parents that children shouldn ’ t own a smartphone until they are 16 , and a new social media age of consent should be introduced by governments , with no child allowed on social media platforms until this age .
It is okay to say children should enjoy school
More than half of parents say their child has suffered with a mental health issue during the last 12 months , with more than a quarter of these children missing school as a result . Secondary / post-primary school children are more likely to have experienced a mental health problem and are less likely to enjoy school . We shouldn ’ t be afraid to say all children should enjoy school .
Any changes to the way we deliver education and assess learning should consider the pressures put on children and the impact on their mental health . We should work towards measuring school enjoyment and making it part of the way we inspect schools .
Giving every child the chance to take part in after-school clubs
Every child should have access to weekly extracurricular activities and after-school clubs . The evidence from our poll shows too few children are taking part in clubs and activities after school . A third of children from the poorest homes never participate in an after-school club or activity .
Governments should work towards a new funding settlement for after-school clubs and activities to make them just as much a part of our education system as a maths or English lesson .
Parents are the missing piece of the jigsaw puzzle
Children spend more than 80 % of their time outside of school , but parents say more than half of secondary / post-primary schools don ’ t give them enough information on how to support their child ’ s learning at home .
We need to do much more to improve the link between home and school . Governments across the UK should develop a ‘ kitemark ’ for engaging with parents , and inspectorates should put this in their inspection frameworks as they have done in Northern Ireland . The Parentkind ‘ Blueprint for Parent-Friendly
Schools ’ provides a template for any new approach .
One in four parents don ’ t think homework is useful and one in three say it causes arguments at home . Some children don ’ t even have a space at home to do homework in . We need a national conversation on how homework can help children to learn but avoid causing family conflict . Governments should announce an expert review of homework and how to encourage children to enjoy learning again and find time for clubs outside of school .
Reduce the temptation for a term time holiday
Despite the media narrative that the ‘ social contract ’ between schools and parents is broken , three quarters of parents agree that every school day matters . Many have even sent their children into school when their children have been unwell . One in five teens have refused to go to school in the last year despite their parents thinking they should go , and one in five parents say it is harder to get their teen to school since the pandemic .
The issue of unauthorised term time holidays came out strongly in our survey , with more than half of parents saying it is okay to miss school for a day or more for a holiday . Parents are often put in a difficult position with family holidays that are substantially cheaper during the term time .
Governments should review the marketing and pricing of holidays primarily marketed at families to see if there ’ s anything that can be done to reduce the gap between the cost of a holiday in term time and one in the school holidays .
Commit to listening to parents when decisions are made
Ministers should commit to consulting parents as standard ahead of major policy announcements so their voices are always heard .
They should commission large-scale annual assessments of parent opinion conducted by an independent body to accurately understand the views of parents and their satisfaction with their child ’ s education .
This year ’ s National Parent Survey is the largest yet and shows that much more needs to be done to support parents by listening to their concerns . This large-scale parent poll should be a call to action for governments across all parts of the UK and for elected representatives who want to speak up for parents .
Jason Elsom Chief Executive , Parentkind
4 NATIONALPARENTSURVEY . COM NATIONAL PARENT SURVEY 2024