CONTRIBUTORS
For our children, the need for a village has never been greater NAOMI HOWELLS, Managing Director at Class
People, shares her thoughts.
The discussion around social media bans and restrictions has been reignited. Parents, educators and policymakers are increasingly asking how much time children should be spending online and what impact this is having on their wellbeing, development and relationships. Whilst opinions differ on the effectiveness of restrictions, there is one question I find myself returning to: If we want children to spend less time looking at screens, what are we giving them that is more compelling than the screen in front of them?
As schools, parents and communities, we spend a great deal of time thinking about what children are learning. Yet perhaps we should spend more time thinking about who they are learning from and the experiences those individuals are helping to create. Children rarely put down a screen simply because they are told to. More often, they do so because something else captures their imagination. It may be a football team, a school production, a gardening project, a youth group, a volunteering opportunity, a love of reading or a fascination with music, history or the natural world. Whatever form it takes, behind many of these experiences is an adult who took the time to encourage them. These individuals provide something that technology never can: connection.
They become role models, mentors, listeners and cheerleaders. They create a sense of belonging and help children build confidence in themselves and the world around them.
Perhaps one of the greatest challenges facing childhood today is not simply the presence of technology, but the absence of meaningful connection.
Children are more digitally connected than any generation before them, yet many educators and parents continue to express concerns around loneliness, confidence, resilience and wellbeing. This is where schools play such a vital role. Not only as places of learning, but as environments where children are introduced to new possibilities. Every day, adults working in education create opportunities for children to discover interests and passions that may continue long after they leave the classroom.
Many of us can still remember the individual who influenced our own journey. That is the power of connection. And it is why the idea of a village remains so important. The village children need is not simply made up of parents and teachers. It is made up of coaches, volunteers, mentors, support staff, youth leaders, neighbours, grandparents, community groups and countless other individuals who invest their time, energy and encouragement into the next generation. Collectively, they help children discover who they are. They help them build confidence, find purpose and develop a sense of belonging. If we want children to spend less time looking down at screens, we must first give them more reasons to look up. For our children, the need for a village has never been greater. And building that village is a responsibility we all share.
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www.education-today.co.uk
A whole-family approach to rebuilding confidence in education
EMMA SANDERSON, Managing Director of Momenta Connect – part of Outcomes First Group – talks about what it takes to rebuild confidence in education.
Confidence in education is rarely rebuilt in a classroom alone. It grows when schools, families and communities work together to create conditions in which children feel
safe and able to thrive. Recent policy developments recognise this reality, pointing towards a more holistic, family-centred approach to improving outcomes for children and young people. Schools have faced challenges in recent years. Attendance rates remain below pre-pandemic levels, while concerns about mental health, special educational needs and family hardship continue to affect many children’s engagement with learning. Policymakers now acknowledge that poor attendance and disengagement often reflect wider challenges, not issues resolved through sanctions alone. The Department for Education’s guidance ‘Working Together to Improve School Attendance’ reflects this shift in thinking. It places partnership at the heart of attendance improvement, recognising that schools must work collaboratively with families to address barriers to learning. The emphasis is increasingly on trust, early intervention and shared responsibility.
This same principle underpins the government’s SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan ‘Right Support, Right Place, Right Time’. The reforms aim to improve early identification of need, strengthen inclusion in mainstream schools and ensure greater collaboration between education, health and care services. Its core objective is restoring confidence among families that children will receive the support they need when they need it. The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act reinforces this direction. By strengthening links between education, safeguarding, family support and wider children’s services, it recognises that educational success depends on support beyond the school gates. Children are most likely to thrive when the adults around them work together effectively and consistently.
For schools, this means moving beyond parental engagement activities and embracing a whole-family approach. School leaders may ask: would families describe school as easy to navigate? The answer often reveals where confidence is built or lost. Clear communication, accessible SEND processes and responsive pastoral support can make a significant difference to how families experience education.
Action need not involve wholesale change. Schools can strengthen transition arrangements, establish parent forums that influence decision-making, develop family learning opportunities and ensure early-help pathways are understood by staff. Attendance conversations can focus on understanding barriers rather than monitoring absence alone, while SEND reviews can be collaborative discussions that place family voice at the centre. The most effective schools enable parent engagement not only when concerns arise, but throughout the child’s education.
The benefits extend beyond attendance. Research shows that children achieve better outcomes when families are actively involved in education. Confidence grows when communication is open, support is accessible and children see the adults in their lives working together towards shared goals.
As schools continue to navigate a changing policy landscape, one message remains consistent across attendance reform, SEND improvement and wellbeing legislation: rebuilding confidence in education cannot be achieved by schools alone. It requires partnerships between families, educators and wider services. Schools will make the greatest difference see families not as stakeholders to manage, but as partners in children’s success. Rebuilding confidence in education starts with rebuilding confidence in relationships that underpin it.
July/August 2026
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