Tooled Up Member Webinars
The home of evidence-based resources on all aspects of parenting, education and family life
Schools that are part of our Tooled Up Education community can provide their parents and teachers with access to Dr Weston’s exclusive resources, covering areas such as aspiration, resilience, mental health and behaviour.
As a member of the Tooled Up community you will have access to a whole host of evidence-based resources, which will enable you to support your children or students in a way that makes their lives and educational journeys both easier and more enjoyable.
Dr Weston's Wednesday Wisdom
In an ever increasingly busy and demanding world, Wednesday Wisdom provides a reflective 2 minute read every week that readers constantly tell us they look forward to. Full of topical and relatable experiences that help provide reflection, motivation and support in achieving a balanced family life.
Over the years, thousands of people have benefitted from, and continue to enjoy, the parenting and educational talks from Dr Kathy Weston at Tooled Up Education and have subscribed to Wednesday Wisdom. Join now for free to get your own weekly digest of motivating, interesting, and thoughtful parenting advice from Dr Weston herself.
“I just wanted to say how grateful I am to read your Wednesday Wisdom email. Perfect size for the time I have to engage and reflect and think about the topics you touch on. It helps me to evaluate my parenting and take a step back to look at scenarios that play out.”
Parent – October 2020
Perilous Perfectionism
The last two weeks have gone by in a blur of summer term school activity; leavers’ parties, balls, prize-givings and school discos. Exam season is over. People are tired, but also enjoying the reverie of being free to socialise in full again, particularly whilst the sun is shining. School reports will soon be landing on mats or in inboxes, signalling the close to the academic year. We will read about our children’s progress, take pride in their successes and learn more about the areas that they need to work on.
Parenting Question of the Week
Just wondering if you have done any work on advising parents about how to talk to their teenage daughters on the matter of clothes? Corset tops appear popular at the moment. I have tried to advise my daughter that they are basically underwear and are normally worn under clothes, but this is difficult to get across. We are not letting her buy them but, as she approaches 18, I want to give her the skills to judge things like this more wisely.
Our Promise: We will answer all questions, and, whilst we may share your question and answer to help others, we will never declare who asked it.
Researcher of the Month
Tom King, PhD Student, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health at University College London
University
University College London
Research Interests
Tom King’s PhD focuses on integrated healthcare for children and young people experiencing physical and mental health conditions. He has previously investigated the mental health outcomes of peer support interventions in schools.
Many schools throughout the world have implemented different peer-led interventions, with mixed results. This includes approximately 62% of schools in England. However, the evidence base on their effectiveness as mental health interventions remains limited. Tom King’s paper, published in 2021 and co-authored with Professor Mina Fazel, reviews the existing literature to map out different peer-led interventions in schools worldwide, examines the quality of the evidence, and evaluates their impact.
Tom’s review includes studies which reported on a peer-led intervention that aimed to address a mental health or wellbeing issue, using a peer from the same school setting. The vast majority of interventions were used in secondary school settings.
Tom found that, despite widespread use of peer-led interventions, the evidence base for mental health outcomes is sparse. However, the small number of included studies means that any conclusions about effectiveness are tentative. Counterintuitively, there appear to be better documented benefits for those who are trained to be a peer leader/supporter than for recipients, and impacts varied significantly. Some recipients reported improvements in self-confidence and quality of life, though in one study they reported an increase in learning stress. In some studies, peer supporters showed significant improvements in self-esteem and social stress, but in one study they felt high levels of guilt. Some interventions did not seem to have significant impacts on wellbeing measures.
Further, rigorous research is needed with a focus on establishing best practice for peer selection, training, supervision and delivery. Future studies should assess the impact of these interventions, to ensure that they target those children most likely to benefit.
Implications for schools – Settings making use of peer-led wellbeing interventions should seek to evaluate how effective they are for their specific community and ensure that any risks are being carefully considered. This kind of intervention is highly varied, in both implementation and content, and there is currently little evidence to support specific methodologies.
Interventions are more likely to be effective if schools implement clear and realistic plans, are flexible and allow schemes to change and develop over time. Tom encourages schools to plan carefully for recruitment to the scheme, training, delivery and supervision. Peer supporters may feel a strong sense of responsibility for the outcomes of the intervention. School staff should understand the limitations of interventions and encourage peer leaders to understand their own limits too.
Schools might be interested in reading a government review of peer support interventions, which identifies potential risks and mitigations.
Tooled Up News
Parenting in the Digital Age: A Guide to Our Top Tooled Up Resources
Every day, we’re surrounded by the ubiquity of digital technologies – whether it’s social media, the work zoom call or numerous entertainment channels on our phones, tablets and TVs. The pandemic has only accelerated the process of omnipresent digitalisation and lockdowns led to many of our children spending more time
Mindful About Evidence
School mindfulness lessons don’t work for teenagers, study says. Here at Tooled Up Towers, we love to see how interventions work in real life. It isn’t easy to prove if something works, so we were excited to learn that a randomised control trial has been carried out on teaching mindfulness in schools. Mindfulness is the practice of being aware of what is happening in the present moment. It is a way of reducing how much we worry about the future or ruminate on the past. A therapy based on teaching mindfulness skills to stay well has been proven to reduce depression in adults. So, what would happen if we taught mindfulness in schools?
I had a great day filming with @kathrynbates47 and @TooledUpTips to turn our research piece into a film!! A new experience and a real honour 🥰
For many of our children, #GCSEresultsday is looming. To help your children get through the day in a positive frame of mind, whatever the outcome, here are our top tips: https://bit.ly/3Q8XchK
#children #teenagers #parentingtips #parents
Parents, are you prepared for A Levels results day? Please read our tips on this within Tooled Up and remember to check out things like our 'university packing list' while you are there; our tips are designed to help families be proactive, organised and ready for anything.
Tooled Up Teachers! In September, we’ll be running a live 30 minute refresher talk, perfect for existing staff and new joiners, that will introduce you to, or remind you of, the support offered to you: https://bit.ly/3oLobUz
#school #education
Enjoying using @TooledUpTips financial literacy quiz during downtime on hols! We are all learning something.
Learn about how the most successful schools are strategically connecting staff development to both appraisal and school improvement planning, while creating purposeful development pathways for staff thereby attracting and retaining the best people.
What are the secrets of school #leadership that generate a #school with both academic excellence and a thriving, characterful culture for both students and staff?
Find out in our upcoming webinar with David Weston: https://bit.ly/3p30J5s
We’re thrilled to announce our upcoming webinar with one of the world's leading paediatric allergists (allergy experts), Professor Adam Fox and Dr Kathy Weston.
This is your chance to get close to the expert so come along for a live Q&A and get involved: https://bit.ly/3oLobUz
It’s #playday2022 so tune into our #podcast with @DrHelenDodd in which she discusses the importance of play in children's development and much more on the topic of #play > https://bit.ly/3oLInFR
#parenting #learningthroughplay #parentingtips #playmatters
It’s #loveparksweek and to help you get started as an #outdoorsy #family, we put together a list of brilliant apps & websites that combine on and offscreen activities to engage children with #nature > https://bit.ly/3vzqdei
@JeanMWilliams Professor Williams, we would love to feature you on one of our podcasts or invite you to deliver a webinar lecture on your most recent book to our Tooled Up Schools. Please DM us!
Celebrating all trailblazers in women's football today - well done to the @Lionesses 👏
Watch our short video clip where Dr Weston shares her top tips on how to encourage girls back into sport and to help them enjoy it > https://bit.ly/3JieXJ7
#thisgirlcan
Last night, we proudly watched the #LionessesBringItHome and win #WEURO2022 and are hopeful this event inspires more girls to play football.
Did you know that while both teen boys & girls see a decline in physical activity, it's far steeper in girls?
There are so many things to celebrate today, it is hard to focus on one thing! #thisgirlcan #girlsinsport
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/commonwealth-games/62355193
Professor Williams has written some brilliant books on the history of women's football - a topic we are all now paying great attention to! Do follow her to find out more.
Gamechangers: the players who pioneered future of international women's football 8 March 2022 European Parliament Liaison Office in the UK, Europe House and online #BreakTheBias #IWD2022 @PiaSundhage Rose Reilly, Kerry Davis, @MargeShep1 @margare21306470 https://www.europarl.europa.eu/unitedkingdom/en/eventsandexhibitions/upcoming-events/iwd2022.html
What can we say? They demonstrated physical strength, skill, courage, determination, good humour, resilience, camaraderie, team-work and passion! They have inspired every little girl to reach for the stars. Unstoppable. #thisgirlcan #Lionessess #LionsRoar
England have won their first major trophy since 1966 after the Lionesses beat Germany in a thrilling and feisty Euro 2022 final in front of a record 87,192 fans at Wembley.
Tomorrow is #WorldFriendshipDay, so we'd like to share our top 10 Strategies for Making #Friends.
Our tips can be used for breaking the ice with new people and are suitable for both adults and #children.
View it here: https://bit.ly/3PkJNml
Do you know about the summer slide? When #learning accumulated over the year dissipates during the summer - We don't want children's learning to get rusty, but they also need to relax over the holidays. How do we get that balance right? Find out here > https://bit.ly/3aeAFAy
✅ Help with the early identification of mental health difficulties
✅ Improve children's chances of thriving socially, emotionally and academically
Find out more about the support available with a Tooled Up subscription here: https://bit.ly/3PZ9Z69
#school #education
At Tooled Up, we work with the world’s leading researchers, translating research evidence into actionable tips that:
✅ Help #parents and carers feel better supported
✅ Build parental confidence and self-efficacy
✅ Promote good mental health and #family resilience
Did you know #cyberbullying is thought to impact up to 75% of young people?
This month, we highlight the work of @DrLarisaTM who is exploring whether social connections can protect young people from the negative effects of cyberbullying. Read the article: https://bit.ly/3cJDTNp
If your older teen is currently learning to drive, this article and the video contained within it, is a painful reminder of the critical importance of not succumbing to the temptation to browse apps whilst driving. Please talk young learner drivers. 😢
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-62235941
Call for help 👉 Any International female athletes past or present happy to share their experience and how they manage(d) their menstrual cycle, training and performance 🙏🏻🙏🏻
#femaleathletes #sport #menstrualcycle
Are you heading to a beach? Why not dip into (excuse the pun!) our brand *new* beach science resources for children and teens; they contain fun activities that will open up their thinking, cultivate curiosity and enhance scientific knowledge. Check them out on our site now!
@Kerrie26906158 @kathrynbates47 Proud to have worked with you Kerrie! What a great piece of work.
We understand that 17 teens have already tragically died by drowning this summer in the UK. Parents, please take 5 minutes to read our "Water Safety and Drowning Prevention" resource within Tooled Up.
Parents, don't stress over finding new activities for your #children to try - we've got you covered with our '2022 #Summer Activities for Children & Teens' list.
Find it here > https://bit.ly/3uXQoLu
📢 Calling all Tooled Up #teachers! 📢
Encouraging active parental engagement in learning can raise attainment and give #children a greater chance of success.
Here are our top tips for ensuring that your #parents get involved: https://bit.ly/3odpSdo
In our upcoming webinar, we'll give an overview of the latest #research on noise in the #classroom, and suggest how this research knowledge can be used in everyday #teaching practice to improve children’s attainment and wellbeing.
Register here > https://bit.ly/3AIBrRp
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If you are interested in learning more about Tooled Up Education, have a technical question, press enquiry or any other query, please follow the link below or get in touch with Dr Weston’s team on email: office@tooledupeducation.com