Rift House Primary School

Dear Parents and Carers, 

Celebrating 20 years of enriching children’s lives: 

7 steps parents can take to help their children succeed 

My name is Valsa Koshy and I am a Professor of Education at Brunel University London. Earlier this year, I was awarded an MBE for my work with children over several decades. 

Building on 20 years of research and my more recent work with over 1400 parents of primary schoolchildren from all backgrounds, Brunel University London has released a news item and a video for parents. It describes 7 steps parents can take to help children succeed in learning and, at the same time, improve their health and wellbeing. 

The 7 steps are:  

1. Intelligence is not fixed and we can change a child’s learning potential
2. There is no universally accepted definition of giftedness, talent or high ability
3. Find and develop your child’s passion
4. Develop your child’s wellbeing
5. Children’s abilities do not depend on their parents' social backgrounds
6. Spend quality time with your children
7. Fight low expectations in children with special needs

After participating in the project, children of parents who learnt about aspects of intelligence, talent development and wellbeing  

• showed higher motivation and more enthusiasm about learning
• had higher achievement
• were happier and had reduced anxiety levels

We have also produced a handbook for parents and grandparents, which explores the 7 steps in more detail, as well as other relevant topics. 

I hope you find the video useful. The video also features our book, which formed the basis of our project for parents. 

Best wishes, 

Professor Valsa Koshy MBE 

Department of Education 

Brunel University London