Parents & Carers

How parents/carers can help

Your input is very important in helping young people make well informed and appropriate choices.

Your son/daughter will have to  make decisions about their future education, learning and career plans. As a parent/carer, your input and influence is very important in helping them make well informed and appropriate choices.

One of the aims of this site is to help guide your son or daughter through the routes and options available to them at key stages in their life. It includes information on:

• How the Connexions Service supports young people.
• Advice in Year 8 or 9 on choosing subjects and courses which your son or daughter will do in Year 10 and 11.
• Planning for the future in and after Year 11.
• Options after Year 12 and 13.
• Further education,work based learning and employment (including voluntary work).
• Higher education.
• Funding support.
• Where to get help if your son/daughter has issues which are not just about learning and earning- their health and well-being for example.

You may find it helpful to browse around the young person's sections of the site yourself.

How you can help your son or daughter

• Attend parents/carers evenings at school/college.Personal Advisers usually attend these events so you could talk to them there.

• Talk to subject teachers about how your son or daughter is doing at school and what support you and their teachers could give them.

• Discuss with them what they enjoy and what they don't.It's important to choose subjects they will enjoy,but there are some subjects they will have to carry on with. If they are having problems with any of their subjects try to find out why.Check if there is anything you and the school could do to improve things.

• Encourage them to think about how they like to learn. Do they do well in exams or are they better at projects? Some courses and subjects have more practical content and projects - others have more essays and exams.

• Remind them how important their personal skills and qualities (often called 'employability skills') are.These are turning up on time,attending regularly,working in a team,being organised,putting effort in and having a good attitude. You could help by making sure they check what their homework deadlines are and what time their bus leaves for example.

• Keep up to date with developments in education, work based learning, employment and voluntary opportunities.

• Talk to someone at Connexions if you have a concern or enquiry. The first step may be to contact a  Personal Adviser at your son/daughters place of study or at Rotherham Connexions Centre by telephoning for an appointment on 01709 821184.

• Encourage your son/daughter to make use of the resources and opportunities available to them. There is information available at their school, college and at Rotherham Connexions Centre.

• Inform us of any change of address or other details so that we can keep in touch with your son/daughter.

• Encourage them to have at least one back-up plan in terms of what they want to do.For example the option they are interested in may have limited places so they may need to think about what else they would like to do.

• Take a look at the booklet What Next? Choosing your Options for Key Stage 4 2011-2012  which is aimed at helping young people who are in Year 9 (or 8 in some schools) make important decisions about their future options.

If your son or daughter is in Year 9 and has learning difficulties and/or disabilities you may find this booklet useful Forward-information for parents and carers of teenagers with learning difficulties and/or disabilities

You may like to look at the section aimed at young people who are in Year 11 in the Rotherham area about Apply Rotherham which is Rotherham's online prospectus and application process.

If your son or daughter is in Year 11 at a school in the Rotherham area you may also wish to take a look at these Hot Tips about  Apply Rotherham. 

There are many ways in which the Connexions Service can help you and your son/daughter with their plans-what can you expect from us?

• Help to understand and make decisions about your son/daughter's future including choosing their options.
• Help to find a course,job or training (work-based learning) vacancy for your son/daughter.
• Specialised help for young people with learning difficulties and disabilities.
• Help with making the transition from education and learning to the world of work.
• Advice on CVs, interviews and applications for courses and jobs.
• Help if your son/daughter has lost a job or training placement, or if they are having problems finding something suitable.
• Information on lifestyle, leisure and volunteering opportunities.
• Extra help and support if your son/daughter needs it, to deal with problems or issues.

Useful Links

You could also try the following web sites for other information which may be useful:

Advisory Centre for Education (ACE)
Provides independent advice to parents/carers of children in state-funded schools who are experiencing difficulties such as bullying and exclusion from school. Includes telephone advice lines.

BBC
Includes a section for parents including  the bitesize area which has revision tips.

Contact a Family
UK wide charity providing advice, information and support to families of disabled children.

Directgov
Has a wealth of information including details about qualifications, funding for childcare and other useful issues.

Family Lives
Charity which provides support to families. The service includes a 24 hour helpline, message boards, email service, live chat and parenting/relationship support groups.

National Association of Family Information Services (NAFIS)
Registered charity that represents a network of children's information services across the country. Members receive a range of services, including training, publications, electronic communication facilities and regular networking opportunities.

Parentpartnership
Provides information,advice and support for parents/carers of young people with special educational needs.

Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency
Contains lots of useful information about the National Curriculum and qualifications.

Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council
Includes a section for parents including details of the Parent Partnership.

Skill(National Bureau for Students with Disabilities)
Has information about education,training and work for students with disabilities.