Dilemmas & solutions

Today parents will hear at which primary school their children have been offered a place. Some will be disappointed and will wish to appeal. Last year 87 per cent of appeals failed so Maxwell Gillott are offering free advice on how to engage in the appeals process formally and with more chance of success.

Music therapy can be extremely beneficial to the developing child with ASD who struggles to make sense of the world and of other people.Children with ASD find it difficult to express their feelings, foster social relationships and make friendships; they can often appear anxious or withdrawn.  Such signs mean that speech can also be difficult (if not, non-existent in some cases), as well as concentration and emotional stability. But music has many counteractive benefits to autistic behaviour, writes Caroline Crabbe, General Manager at Jo Jingles.

How do we persuade our "reluctant readers" to read?  Well, let’s start by re-branding them, says author and teacher Kate Hanney.

Getting children to school on time is part of their eduction for life – they won't be able to stroll up for work half an hour late every day, and students may find they are barred from entering a lecture if more than five or ten minutes late. So what do you do to instil punctuality? Anne Coates gives her top tips.

Whether you agree with it  or not, homework is a fact for most children of school age – often from reception class onwards. Anne Coates gives her top tips for parents to make sure the homework gets done.

Christmas is a stressful time for most families, even more so if you’re a step-parent and have your partner’s children spending the holiday season with you. New York based writer Dr Wednesday Martin, author of Stepmonster: A New Look at Why Real Stepmothers Think, Feel and Act the Way We Do, has been a stepmother for ten years and gives her top ten tips for surviving the holiday season.

Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a High School about 11 things pupils did not and will not learn in school. He talks about how feel-good, politically correct teachings
created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world. Every parent should take comfort from his words and every child, learn them by heart!

The CyberSmile Foundation launches its annual Stop Cyberbullying Day on the 21 June 2013 with this message: "Be nice online".

Research shows that reading to a young child is the single most important thing you can do to help your child’s education. Getting boys to read is often a challenge. Father of  three sons, Tim Mungeam, author of Fantastic First-time Father and Chief Executive of Springboard for Children, gives his top tips for getting children to enjoy reading.

As parents we have two major functions to ensure that children have a consistent, safe and secure environment in which they can learn reasonable rules and understand why they are important and to nurture self-discipline or self-control. Anne Coates author of Parenting Without Tears Guide to Loving Discipline outlines some strategies.

 

The question has been raised again whether children should have pocket money or earn money from part-time work. Anne Coates thinks a combination of both is the better solution.

Most children are disrespectful at some time or another. The challenge for parents, writes Anne Coates, author of Parenting Without Tears Guide to Loving Discipline, is to choose your battles and to make sure you lead by example and show your offspring respect.

Following the successful launch of  the first book, Parenting Without Tears Guide to Living With Teenagers, the next in the series will be about discipline in the family. Do you have any points or questions you'd like covered ?

Recent figures have shown that at the end of the academic year 2011/12, 88,000 children left primary school not having reached the required literacy standard for an eleven year old. The reasons for this are numerous and in many cases complex, as Julia Bairstow certainly encountered during her many years of teaching and more recently, whilst attending a launch meeting for the Volunteer Reading Help (VRH) charity and Igennus Healthcare Nutrition.

David Hodgson, Partner, Family Dept, Fisher Meredith LLP discusses what you should do to protect your chidlren if you die early.

Local authorities start sending out their decisions regarding the allocation of school places for September 2012 on 1 March. So what do you do if your child has not been allocated a place in the reception or secondary school of your choice? Associate solicitor Laura Berman gives her advice.

Subtitled How to enjoy mealtimes without worry, this excellent and sensible book, My Child Won't Eat! by Carlos González and published by Pinter & Martin should be on every new parent's bookshelf, writes Anne Coates.

A concerned parent asks Anne Coates, "What do you recommend for an 18 year old who cannot sleep near the exams and it's affecting his concentration?"