How to set your child up for success
How to set your child up for success
Pictured: Ibstock Place School
What does success really mean for today’s families? The answer is deeply personal, yet the journey towards it shares powerful common ground. The education landscape in the UK is undertaking a fluid examination of what it means to prepare children for success in life, and what the definition of success involves. Current government education plans centre the ideas of building resilience from a young age, in order to prepare children for the ever-shifting social landscape.
From academic pathways like the 11 Plus to creative ambitions in the arts, and from confidence-building to unlocking individual potential, schools are working to ensure
their students are equipped for the life ahead of them. This varies from identifying strengths to making the most of the resources and support systems available, including tutors, enrichment programmes, and specialist services.
Academic Pathways
According to Public Health England, there is some evidence that academic attainment is linked to health later in life, as those who succeed academically are more likely to be healthy, with longer life expectancy, than those whose results are not so strong.
If you’re going for the private school pathway, ensuring your child is prepared for the 11 Plus is one of the first big milestones in preparing them for academic success. Advice says to begin prepping your child for the 11 Plus in Year 4, giving them two years to prepare for the exam, making it a marathon, not a sprint. In Year 4, children can be introduced to key principles of maths, practice basic comprehension, study techniques for creative writing and get accustomed to reasoning questions.
It is also important to prioritise reading from a young age. Children who read a wide variety of both fiction and non-fiction tend to perform better academically. Nurturing their reading comprehension skills is highly valuable and can be fostered with a wide array of literature.
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Creative Arts
Building your child’s creative skills can help to build emotional resilience, a key aspect of preparing for later success both personally and professionally. Communication and expression are the ways children share their responses to what they see and experience. Drama, singing, and dance can help to build valuable communication skills and help children to develop their emotional expression.
Merton Music Foundation’s Soo Bishop talks about the benefits of taking part in music: “Research has shown that in addition to the musical benefits, a high quality music education sharpens the brain’s early encoding of sound, enhancing listening, aural processing skills and aural memory, thus helping with the development of literacy and mathematical skills.
Building Resilience
Resilience is described as the ability to ‘bounce back’ from negative experiences, and succeed despite adversity; a key skill that many schools look to foster in their students. At Marymount International School London, the holistic approach of the International Baccalaureate looks to build resilience through a variety of avenues. Students are encouraged to take an active role in their education by engaging in research, interdisciplinary projects and real-world problem solving. This approach develops essential skills such as critical thinking, independence and collaboration from an early stage. Alongside this, a rich co-curricular programme including sport, the arts and leadership opportunities such as Student Council allows students to explore their interests, build confidence and develop resilience within a balanced and supportive environment.
High performance expert Jake Humphrey explains that one of the most valuable ways to build resilience in children and teenagers is to teach them that failure is learning. He says: “One of the most important shifts we can make is helping them understand that setbacks are not unusual. Instead, they are inevitable and a helpful part of the learning process. Rather than them interpreting failure as a sign that something is wrong with them, we need to reframe it as a sign that they are most likely stepping out of their comfort zone and learning. Most important, is how they react to it.”
At Ibstock Place School, classrooms are fostered into ‘mistake-free spaces’ where students are encouraged to get out of their comfort zones and challenge themselves in a safe space unafraid of failure. Their Unique Journeys initiatives ensure that success at the school is determined by the individual and something all pupils are able to access, irrespective of needs, disabilities or abilities. They also retain a focus on helping their pupils develop resilience through periods of difficulty or adversity, with experienced Academic Mentors offering one-to-one support and an award-winning wellness provision.
SEND Support
Setting up your child for success may look a little different when they are dealing with the additional complications of needing extra SEND support. In February 2026, the government announced new long-term reforms to the SEND system, moving it towards a ‘tiered’ approach: universal, targeted, targeted plus, and specialist support. Every child with extra needs will have a digital Individual Support Plan, tracking their needs, daily support, and progress, and this will be made accessible to parents and teachers. The aim of the policy is to push for greater inclusion in mainstream settings, ensuring children with additional needs are not isolated from their peers, and are therefore set up for greater success later in life.
Parents of children with extra needs may also want to look at support outside of the school setting. Local clinic Therapy4Kids provides physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, and clinic and educational psychology, alongside diagnostic assessments for ADHD, autism, dyslexia and dyspraxia. Through targeted, evidence-based therapy, they help children develop the core skills that underpin their ability to learn, participate and feel confident in everyday life.
Michelle Jordan, Director of Therapy4Kids, says: “Success is not about fitting into a single definition. It is about helping each child overcome challenges and feel confident, supported, and able to move forward. Seeking therapy should never be seen as a weakness. In many cases, it is the turning point that allows a child to truly thrive.” We have more of Michelle’s advice on our website now.
