Scroll down for free downloadable lesson and pastoral resources to use in your primary school
Conflict between parents is common. However, when the conflict is frequent, intense and poorly resolved, it puts children’s mental health, education attainment and long-term outcomes at risk.
The BE project has consulted with Bristol City Council and six pathfinder primary schools to create a range of materials that can be used in school to support children affected by parental conflict.
We found that:
Children who see arguments or conflict at home often arrive at school upset or unsettled and can find it hard to concentrate in class.
When parents separate and disagree about child arrangements, it can lead to poor school attendance.
Children and Families might not share what’s going on at home because they’re worried about social services or how others in their family or community might react.
Children are more likely to seek support when they have ongoing relationships with ‘kind’, proactive staff and have a private space where they can talk without being interrupted.
Children like resources that give them the language to share their experiences of conflict without having to directly tell a member of staff (no eye contact).
‘When your grown-ups don’t get along’: A lesson for all children to build understanding about why grown ups argue, why some arguments are upsetting, how it makes us feel, and what to do about it.
Age 5-7
Age 7-9
Age 9-11
A tutorial video for teachers who want to deliver the ‘When your grown-ups don’t get along’ lesson with their Year 5 or 6 classes.
‘Work It Out’: A pastoral intervention for children who are experiencing harmful inter-parental conflict
One-to-one and group intervention materials that can be delivered in the third person without self disclosure using the character cards:
Age 5-9
Age 9-11
Communication with parents: How to inform your parents what their children learn about in the lesson
All materials have been made in consultation with the staff, students and parents at our pathfinder schools. We would like to thank you for all the support you have given the project!
