Parentkind

🌟 Celebrating the success of the ‘All Dressed Up’ campaign! 🌟 Over the past 11 weeks, we’ve achieved something truly remarkable: ✅ Built and launched a website from scratch ✅ Promoted the campaign and managed over 100,000 costume donation requests ✅ Reviewed 1,800+ costume donation requests and coordinated distributions with Rubies Masquerade While the journey wasn’t without its challenges, we’re incredibly proud to share that 100,000 costumes have reached schools in time for World Book Day. This achievement wouldn’t have been possible without the unwavering dedication of the Parentkind, World Book Day Charity and Rubies teams. From working evenings and weekends to sacrificing family time during the holidays, their commitment has been nothing short of inspiring. Together, we’ve brought joy and creativity to thousands of children, helping them celebrate the magic of reading. Here’s to making a difference — one costume at a time! Jason Elsom

Our CEO Jason Elsom has written to the Secretary of State for Education today asking for action on smartphones in schools. Just 14% of secondary schools have effective bans according to teenagers. We need urgent clarification from the Department for Education

Yesterday, Parentkind welcomed Ofsted Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver, to give a speech on the role of parents in education. It was a privilege to hear him speak to a packed room in Westminster with parents, PTAs and charities coming together to listen to what he had to say on the role of parents in education. Our Chief Executive, Jason Elsom took the opportunity to ask Sir Martyn about smartphone bans in schools - a big deal for parents and something we are pushing for. He confirmed that smartphones have no place in schools - “ban them, ban them, ban them,” he said. He couldn’t have been stronger on the topic and suggested that Ofsted will make this a behaviour issue, will back headteachers who take a tough line on smartphones and passed the baton over to the DfE to ban smartphones from the classroom. Watch the full event here - https://lnkd.in/eYZbhhdM

⚖️ Learn how the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology's important Online Safety Act is tackling illegal content 🔽

🌟 Exclusive Live Q&A with Ofsted’s Sir Martyn Oliver 🌟 On 26th March at 10:15 AM, we’re hosting a special live video stream with Sir Martyn Oliver from Ofsted. 🔴 What’s in store? ✅ Insights on the future of education and the role of parents. ✅ A live Q&A where you can ask your burning questions! 👉 Sign up now to join the conversation: https://lnkd.in/eu5VV4XK #Education #Ofsted #Parenting

Time is up for illegal content online ⏰ Tech companies must proactively work on removing illegal content from their platforms. From terrorism to child abuse, companies must act and keep users safe. ❌ No place for illegal content online ❌ The Online Safety Act is in force, making platforms legally responsible for removing illegal content. Users deserves to feel safe online. The Online Safety Act is now being enforced! 🚨 Social media & tech platforms must tackle illegal content - or face tough penalties. Protecting people online is no longer optional; it's the law. New online safety laws in action! Tech companies must now take action to remove illegal content - protecting users from harmful material under the Online Safety Act. 🚨📲 Stronger enforcement = safer internet for all. Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

🌟 We’re absolutely thrilled to announce that two of our campaigns, No Cold Child with FatFace and Asda Cashpot for Schools, have been shortlisted for the Business Charity Awards! 🎉 Even more exciting? These two incredible campaigns make up the entire shortlist for the ‘Fashion & Retail’ Category, meaning we’re guaranteed to bring home an award! 🏆 No Cold Child has also been shortlisted for the ‘Best Response to the Cost-of-Living Crisis Award’. This recognition highlights the vital work being done to support families during these challenging times, and we couldn’t be prouder. ❤️ These achievements are a testament to the hard work, dedication, and collaboration of everyone involved – from our teams and partners to the communities we serve. Together, we’re making a real difference, and this is just the beginning. A huge thank you to everyone who has supported these campaigns. Let’s keep pushing forward to create even more positive change! 💪 All winners will be announced at the Awards Ceremony on Thursday 8th May 2025 #BusinessCharityAwards

Statement from Parentkind on last night’s smartphones in schools vote:   “It was disappointing to see the House of Commons miss the opportunity to ban smartphones in schools last night. Children are telling us what we all suspect, smartphones are getting in the way of lessons. Parentkind data was used repeatedly last night to make the case for a total ban on smartphones in schools and not just in the classroom. Just 1 in 7 secondary school children say smartphones are banned from school premises, despite parents saying they would support the move.    Society has sleepwalked into a position where children are addicted to harmful ‘electronic drugs’ and we are letting their digital dealers into their classroom. School should be a safe haven.   In a Parentkind poll of teenagers conducted last month, a fifth of children at secondary school said their lessons were disturbed every day by other children using smartphones in lessons. We still have a long way to go to rid schools of smartphones with teenagers telling us their classmates are regularly flouting the rules and disturbing lessons through smartphone use. Getting rid of smartphones from the school day should be an easy first step for legislators, its desperately disappointing that they can’t even do that, when parents are looking for tough action on smartphones. It is children that are the victims here and we need a much more urgent response from those in power.”   Jason Elsom, CEO, Parentkind 🔗 Read our report on smartphones in secondary schools here: https://lnkd.in/exUCSyrR

You’ll find me in the Sunday Times again today and this is serious. Unhappy children, dragged through lessons they can’t relate to or don’t like do not thrive in education and it hurts their wellbeing and outcomes, not just at school but also beyond. The Curriculum & Assessment Review is a once in a generation (perhaps) opportunity to address this. Jason Elsom, chief executive of Parentkind, said: “While exam results will always matter, parents across the country have made it clear that academic success should not come at the expense of their child’s wellbeing and happiness. “A child who enjoys learning and has a positive relationship with their education is far more likely to thrive in life than one who is left struggling, clutching a handful of certificates but feeling broken.” The happiest secondary schools, ranked by Ofsted. Where’s yours? https://lnkd.in/eNWfz7tD

📺 Parentkind Featured on ITV's Good Morning Britain! Yesterday, we were thrilled to be part of a Good Morning Britain segment discussing one of the most pressing issues in education today: smartphone use in secondary schools. This topic is complex, contentious, and deeply important. At Parentkind, we believe it’s crucial to amplify the voices of UK parents in this debate. To better understand their perspectives, we commissioned a poll of 2,001 parents with children aged 11–15. Here’s what we found: ✅ 1 in 5 teenagers are disrupted daily by smartphone use in lessons. ✅ 74% of parents believe social media CEOs should be held accountable for harmful content exposed to under-18s. ✅ 6 in 10 parents support a social media ban for children under 16. These insights highlight the urgent need for action—from schools, policymakers, and tech companies alike. Thank you to Good Morning Britain for shining a light on this critical issue. Let’s keep the conversation going! Read the full report yourself: https://lnkd.in/eRX9muK6