New school year, new friendships: how parents can help

A new academic year brings new teachers, new routines, and new opportunities. And for many children, one thing may matter more than almost anything else: friendships.

Whether returning to familiar classmates, joining a new class, or starting at an entirely new school, the relationships children build can play an enormous part in how happy, confident, and connected they feel.

But friendships aren’t just important because they make school more enjoyable. They’re also a hugely important part of growing up.

Through friendships, children learn to communicate, compromise, and negotiate. They experience loyalty and belonging, but also disagreement and disappointment. They learn how to repair relationships when things go wrong and how to accept that sometimes friendships just change.

So, what role should parents play in all of this?

That's the question at the heart of the latest episode of The Learning Curve, Nord Anglia Education’s podcast for parents.

Should parents step in when friendships go wrong?

One of the hardest things for any parent is seeing their child unhappy. When there’s a friendship fallout, someone feels excluded, or a child is struggling to make friends, the instinct to step in and fix things can be powerful.

But intervention isn’t always the answer.

In this episode, host Hfu Reisenhofer is joined by David Gairn, Secondary Lead for Character and Culture at Nord Anglia International School Dubai, Liz and Mathew, School Counsellor at The British International School Abu Dhabi, and Nord Anglia parent Jacques Tisserand to explore both the joys and the challenges of friendships at school.

The conversation looks at why strong friendships matter, how schools help children connect and develop a sense of belonging, and what parents can do when a child is finding it difficult to make friends.

It also tackles some of the trickier questions: How normal are friendship fallouts? What can children learn from them? When should adults step in and when might giving children the space to navigate a difficult situation themselves actually help build confidence and resilience?

As a new school year begins, it’s a timely reminder that some of the most important learning children do at school doesn’t necessarily happen in a lesson. Sometimes, it happens through each other.

Listen to The Learning Curve

Listen to the latest episode and explore the full The Learning Curve series on the podcast website https://www.nordangliaeducation.com/the-learning-curve , or wherever you get your podcasts.