Parent Conference
Navigating the Future Together
Holme Grange are holding their 2nd Parent Conference on Saturday 18th January 2020. This event is open to the general public and the conference is applicable to all, no matter the age of your children. The conference will start at 9am with two keynote speakers. The first is John Stein – Wobbles, Warbles & Fish, looking at the neurobiology of dyslexia and related conditions. The second keynote is Elizabeth Burton Philips of ‘Mum, Can You Lend Me Twenty Quid?’ fame. You will then have the opportunity to choose one of five workshop topics.
Details of the Day
Lunch will be provided between 12.05pm and 12.55pm
Lunch is followed by two more workshop sessions and again you will have various topics to choose from. The conference will then finish with our final keynote session by the renowned Karl Hopwood on Growing Up in a Digital World. The conference will finish at 4pm.
The conference including lunch will cost £25 per place. To book please click here
Workshop 1 Topics
1A Janey Downshire – Teenagers Translated – Teenagers and Pornography.
Recent research studies have investigated links between mental health decline and the rise in adolescent consumption of pornographic material. It is helpful for all parents to have an understanding of potential consequences, so that they feel able to have informed discussions with their teenagers.
1B Tom Varley – Skills for Life
Employers do not think young people leaving education are ‘work ready’, with nearly half of employer respondents ranking ‘work readiness’ as the most important factor when recruiting. Adults need to ensure young people build the essential skills to succeed and be prepared for the future, whatever it holds.
1C Amy Rushworth – Teaching Young People how to find their values, purpose and direction
In the current world climate and with the rise of social media, there is an increasing amount of pressure on young people to be the best, to belong, to find purpose, to feel good enough and to have their future mapped out.
This is giving rise not only to social comparison, but also elevated numbers of mental health conditions, low confidence, eating disorders and stress. All of these effects influence not only the quality of life, but also fulfilment, self-esteem, belief systems, mindset and behaviour.
In this workshop, Amy Rushworth will be sharing some of the ways we can support our young people to find their values and use them as the guiding compass for navigating the journey forward, as well as discovering purpose, direction and self-esteem.
1D Professor John Stein – Wobbles, Warbles & Fish– the ‘magnocellular’ theory of developmental dyslexia – How can I help my Child?
This session will be a question and answer session following Professor Stein’s keynote address.
1E Dr Nihara Krause – Anxiety
The session will cover a brief background to brain, behavioural, emotional and social development in children and what can be done to boost resilience and well being. Including common mental health difficulties together with some top tips.
Workshop 2 Topics
2A Elizabeth Burton Phillips – Drugs FAM Mum, Can You Lend Me Twenty Quid? What drugs did to my family.
Q&A from the Keynote Speech
2B Professor Pat Preedy – Early childhood and neuro-developmental delay
The session explores the link between movement and cognitive development and how we use programmes to enable babies and young children to develop gross and fine motor skills and the balance needed for successful learning.
2C Karl Hopwood – Internet Safety and Parental Tools
This session will look at the different things that children and young people are doing when they go online. The focus for the session will be to give parents some tools so they can protect their children and support them – a mix of practical and technical solutions will be shared.
2D Tom Varley – Skills for Life
Employers do not think young people leaving education are ‘work ready’, with nearly half of employer respondents ranking ‘work readiness’ as the most important factor when recruiting. Adults need to ensure young people build the essential skills to succeed and be prepared for the future, whatever it holds.
2E Janey Downshire – Teenagers Translated –Increasing independence
Adolescence is an exciting period of development, where a child learns how to take responsibility and become an autonomous adult. Having a clearer sense of what’s involved in this process can help parents to feel more confident.
2F Dr Pooky Knightsmith -Beyond behaviour: Understanding and responding to challenging behaviours
During this practical session, we’ll explore a range of challenging behaviours commonly seen in younger children. We’ll consider what might underlie these behaviours and explore what the child might be telling us. We’ll consider a range of behaviours including angry outbursts, scratching and biting, self-harm, eating difficulties, school refusal, social withdrawal and soiling. We’ll learn about the links between behaviour, wellbeing and mental health and explore the difference between a punitive and inquisitive response, and consider when and how each should be used.
Workshop 3 Topics
3A Professor Pat Preedy – Early childhood and neuro-developmental delay
The session explores the link between movement and cognitive development and how we use programmes to enable babies and young children to develop gross and fine motor skills and the balance needed for successful learning.
3B Dr Pooky Knightsmith – Practical Strategies for Reducing Exam Stress
In this session we explore exam stress and the steps we can take to support all pupils to achieve to the best of their ability without having their performance reduced by stress and anxiety. We’ll consider how to support pupils to help themselves, the role of parents, what we should and shouldn’t be doing to support and finally how to recognise the red flags that a young person needs more significant support with their mental health.
3C Janey Downshire – Teenagers Translated – Increasing independence
Adolescence is an exciting period of development, where a child learns how to take responsibility and become an autonomous adult. Having a clearer sense of what’s involved in this process can help parents to feel more confident.
3D Dr Nihara Krause – Anxiety
The session will cover a brief background to brain, behavioural, emotional and social development in children and what can be done to boost resilience and well being. Including common mental health difficulties together with some top tips.
3E Amy Rushworth – Body Confidence and Healthy Relationships with Food
We are living in an image-obsessed world, where the line between healthy living and diet culture is vague and distorted. People are more confused than ever, disordered relationships with food are alarmingly high and body image dissatisfaction is on the rise. In a recent mental health study, 37% of teenagers were “upset” by their body image, while 31% felt “ashamed” in relation to their body image. With body image dissatisfaction being associated with a poorer quality of life and psychological distress— it has never been more important that we empower young people to cultivate a healthy relationship with their body and food.
In this workshop, Amy Rushworth will be sharing some of the ways we can protect our young people from diet culture and empower them to develop positive beliefs around their body, food and healthy living.
