Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the impact of dysregulated parents or guardians on children's regulation at school.

The department has not made an assessment on the impact of dysregulated parents or guardians on children's regulation at school.

The department recognises the importance of providing pupils with the right support at the right time to help them achieve the high standards of behaviour expected of them. The department’s recently updated ‘Behaviour in schools’ guidance advises schools on creating calm, safe and supportive environments where pupils and staff can work in safety and are respected. It is important for schools to engage parents in their children’s education and the department trusts schools to develop approaches to engaging parents that are best suited to the local context of the school and individual families. The ‘Behaviour in schools’ guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/behaviour-in-schools--2.

There are a range of methods to support pupils who are experiencing anxiety or other forms of distress. The department has committed to offer all state schools and colleges a grant to train a senior mental health lead by 2025. Training will enable leads to introduce effective whole school approaches to mental health and wellbeing, including the consideration of the support interventions provided in school and the training needs of staff. Over 15,100 settings have claimed a grant so far, including more than 7 in 10 state-funded secondary schools.

For those pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), the ‘SEND code of practice’ sets out that all schools should apply a ‘graduated approach’, which means identifying a child’s needs, implementing appropriate support and reviewing it regularly. Schools should involve pupils and their parents at each of these stages, taking their perspectives into account and keeping them informed about what support is in place. The department expects schools and local authorities to consider the individual circumstances of each pupil and family and take the best course of action to support them. The ‘SEND code of practice’ can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25.