Pastorally Speaking

In this ‘Bonus Extra’ blog, Andy Woodward confesses his love of 'holding forth' in assembly and shares the big question he asked Senior pupils to ask themselves in half-term assembly late last year

Telling teenagers to ‘Just say No’ to drugs won't work. Grown-up and caring discussion of hard facts about illegal substances and the brutal trade in them is much more likely to deter, argues Andy Woodward

Why does the classroom performance of UK boys seem to be in decline and what can we do about it? Andy Woodward has some suggestions to make.

We can't protect children from the apocalyptic-sounding problems the world faces, says Andy Woodward. The best way forward is to prime them to confront the challenges head on.

Why do we still find it hard to own up to even minor struggles with mental health? Andy Woodward argues that schools urgently need to normalise the subject and promote emotional literacy

There's no point in pretending we're perfect parents, says Andy Woodward. If we admit our weaknesses, children are more likely to listen our advice

It's sometimes a difficult subject for parents to broach, admits Andy Woodward, but we must grasp the nettle and talk about sex to our children

It's hard for parents when their teenagers start seeing them as a bore or an embarrassment. But, says Andy Woodward, its vital that they know we’re still there, still available and still loving them

All of us can fall into the trap of overpraising children for average achievement, argues Andy Woodward, but in doing so we may be removing their incentive to do better

It's a natural, parental instinct to protect our children, says Andy Woodward, but standing aside and allowing them to experience and learn from life's setbacks is essential to their growth. Read more...