just about attracting them to the University, it’s what pastoral support they might get offered once they’re actually in Exeter. Exeter is an amazing place, and it’s in one of the most beautiful parts of the world in the Southwest, but I think that some students, especially those that come from cities and different environments, can feel a bit isolated. This is a real holistic strategy. So, trying to flag up the University as somewhere that many people should come to, if it’s the sort of place they want to, and giving them the support once they’re in Exeter. So that is part of the very exciting plan for over the next 10 years. You have written a new book Good Parent Educator, do you want to tell us a little more about that?
Yes, I am really excited by this book, because it is the first book I’ve done that is dedicated to parents. I’ve done lots of books for school leaders. Lots of books that summarise the field of social mobility. We know a lot about social mobility across the world. What is interesting to me is that a lot of parents feel increasing pressure, in terms of helping their children in education, but they have got very little advice on actually how to do that. We also know for a fact that parents play a huge role in shaping young people’s outcomes. What I decided to do was to review all the research out there. I have looked at thousands of studies. It’s taken quite a long time to write this book, and I’ve come up with practical tips for parents, particularly those that are busy. I am hoping that
this will be read by parents from all backgrounds. I give them a number of, I hope, good and useful tips. For example, when they’re very young, when they’re toddlers- I know it sounds obvious, but I also know a lot of parents that don’t do this - you should spend around 20 minutes a day sharing a book with them, just listening to them or reading to them. The evidence shows that just 20 minutes a day can have a huge impact, so that when they do start school they’re not behind others. As, what we know is, when they are behind at age 5, then they often stay behind, right up until the age of 16 or 18. I’ve also got tips on what parents should do in terms of questioning schools when they’re looking at different schools, what questions to ask those teachers, all the way to how you can help children in relation to revision tips. One thing that I talk about is how the best revision technique is testing. It’s asking questions, maybe doing it with flashcards and doing actual proper tests. Getting your sons and daughters to actually do that, rather than doing the highlighting or rereading that children often do. It’s a much more effective technique… Furthermore, I talk about homework, I talk about applying to university and I even talk about the early job/career area. How you can help your children when they come back from university, in terms of developing skills like how to shine in that interview. It explores early years right through to looking for a job. It’s out now, in all good online bookstores. A lot of your research explores the current systems in place to encourage social mobility within the school system. What do you think are some of the biggest flaws with the current system at the moment? How do you think these can be solved?
Great question. I speak in many countries about this now, and a few weeks ago I was in Norway
“What is interesting to me is that a lot of parents feel increasing pressure, in terms of helping their children in education, but they have got very little advice on actually how to do that.” 36 | EDUCATION CHOICES MAGAZINE | S P R I N G 2 02 2
