Parents were last night reminded that the success of their children heavily depends on what is taught and practised at home.

Speaking at Warwick Academy's prize giving, principal Mr. Bernard Beacroft said the 1991/92 school year was a "solid year of achievement''.

A total of 89 fifth-year students gained 494 passes at grades A, B, and C in the General Certificate of Education (GCE) O'Levels, a 73 percent subject entry pass rate, he noted.

And he said while this "did not match the outstanding academic and sporting performances'' of the previous academic year which was among the best in the school's history, it was a very "creditable result''.

Mr. Beacroft said the school "works so well and achieves good results'' mainly because it provides each student with the knowledge, ideas, skills, attitudes, and values needed to enter adulthood and the world of work "which are highly complex and changing rapidly''.

But he said while parents rely heavily upon schools to provide their children with the information and the intellectual skills needed to achieve "ever more demanding'' academic qualifications required by universities and jobs, parents can also help.

"If parents themselves at home practise the basic life skills and show concern for fundamental human values and attitudes then they will be strong allies of school and they will have a very positive influence on their children's educational achievements and life chances after school graduation,'' Mr. Beacroft said.

He noted that in Mr. Bruce Baldwin's"How to Raise Healthy Achieving Children'' the author pointed out that: There must be a stable home environment; Parents must ensure that from an early age their children realise the direct connection between behaviours and consequences and that they are personally responsible for their actions; Parents need to encourage their children to pursue activities which require some hard work, perseverance, adversity and the overcoming of obstacles; Parents should insist on household chores and school homework being done since these activities develop important attitudes and values like doing tasks on time, planning, initiative, personal responsibility, respect for the authority of parents and teachers, and the earning of rewards and praise for a job well done; and Parents need to teach their children good personal and social skills because getting on well with each other is a prerequisite for success in school and in life afterward.

"Good manners, honesty, respect for other people's property and feelings and opinions, the ability to show both sympathy and empathy -- these are all part of good people skills which are such a premium in today's complex and confused society,'' Mr. Beacroft said, adding that "the great majority'' of parents in the Warwick Academy community support and practise these ideas.

Earlier this month guest speaker at Berkeley Institute's prize giving, Acting Cabinet Secretary Mr. Leopold Mills, gave a similar message.

Mr. Mills urged students not to "squander'' opportunities to get a sound education.

And he said while Berkeley's mission was to prepare students to make the most of opportunities available, parents can also play an important role in their children's success.

"As parents, we have a terrific opportunity to influence -- positively -- the children committed to our charge. By the example we set. By the language we use. By the moral values we portray. By the way we treat others. By the religious principles we uphold,'' Mr. Mills said.

"Having to work two jobs cannot, in its entirety, be an excuse for not bringing up your children appropriately. Single parenthood is not a reason why Johnny can't read or why Susie prefers boys to books.

"Living in a society where technology is king does not invalidate the traditional values of decency; of morality; of self respect; of teaching our children the difference between what is right and what is wrong.'' He stressed that parents do not only have the responsibility to support their children with material things, but to take a "close, personal interest in the education'' of their children.

Mr. Mills said this means keeping in touch with teachers on a regular basis; attending parents' nights and P.T.S.A. meetings and giving full support to Berkeley, its acting principal, and staff.