Parents and pupils learnt about the intricacies of modern parenting during a seminar at Warwick Academy.

The school last week hosted the workshop “It Takes a Village: Parenting Isn’t Meant to Happen Alone” to offer practical insights on raising children.

It brought together multiple behavioural experts to discuss topics that impacted children, adolescents and their families.

Darrien Ray, a psychologist with Milestones, told parents about ways they can help children learn to be independent and responsible.

He encouraged parents to gradually step back to allow their children to take on more responsibilities, learn from their mistakes and develop their skills and resilience.

Jill Davidson, a paediatric occupational therapist at Function Junction, looked at routines that families can build to avoid “morning mayhem”.

She offered sessions to reduce stress and productively navigate the start and end of a school day.

Hannah Jones, of Island Nutrition, underlined the link between nutrition, behaviour and learning, explaining how food choices helped with children’s concentration, emotional regulation and academic performance.

Chardonae Rawlins, the founder of Simply Bloom, explored the difficulties of raising children in a digital age.

She encouraged parents to focus on how technology impacted their children’s wellbeing and relationships rather than the amount of time spent on it.

Ms Rawlins further explored the upsides of technology use and how to appropriately navigate it.

Meanwhile, some pupils gave their opinions about what it feels like to grow up in today’s climate.

Student leaders Ryley Wilson, Cayzie Ford, NyLi Grant and Liam Thorne shared honest reflections on what they wish parents understood about being a young person today.

They also spoke on ways that parents could support their children’s mental health.

Reflecting on the meeting, Kimberly Siwiec, Warwick Academy’s head of counselling services, said the idea to invite pupils to the seminar had “incredibly powerful” results.

She added: “Their powerful perspectives gave parents a meaningful window into what it's like to be a young person today and reinforced the importance of including young people in conversations about their wellbeing and development.”