Parents buckling under pressure to give kids the upper hand

Parents are straining under the pressure of pushing for their kids to stand out – and they’re passing their stress on to schools.

Almost half of the parents (49 per cent) surveyed agreed they had placed too much pressure on their child to achieve at school. iStock image

Pressure on parents to curate super CVs and provide experiences for their kids that will give them an edge in the classroom and beyond is growing, a new national survey shows.

More than two thirds of parents – or 67 per cent – surveyed for the 2020 Education Future Report say the pressure to set their child up for success has increased in the past five years, fuelling greater expectations on schools and educators.

The report, compiled annually by McCrindle Research involving more than 1000 parents and 400 educators, shows the pressure is felt most intensely by the parents of high school students.

“Today’s students are growing up in an increasingly competitive work environment (where there is) a global aspect to jobs and opportunities and parents want to ensure their children are successful,” McCrindle advisory director Ashley Fell said.

“There is also a fear around automation and artificial intelligence and parents wanting to future-proof their kids against that … I think a lot of people go, ‘I don’t want a robot to take my child’s job’.”

Parents want their kids’ competitive edge to extend beyond academia, she said.

“(They are wanting their children to learn) resilience, flexibility and adaptability … even character-building aspects such as leadership, working with people, being able to lead a team,” Ms Fell said.

Almost half of the parents (49 per cent) felt they had placed too much pressure on their child to achieve at school. Schools, too, were feeling the pressure from parents.

More than two thirds of parents – or 67 per cent – surveyed say the pressure to set their child up for success has increased in the past five years.

“(As a society), we expect things to be done better and faster and we don’t like to wait for things and this has translated to parents expectations of schools … there is a gap between what parents expect and what their children’s schools are able to deliver (and) tension there around what parents think success looks like,” Ms Fell said.

As an example more than four in five educators (83 per cent) believe the tension between supporting student wellbeing and teaching the curriculum has increased.

On the flip side, most parents are appreciative of the school community and see their children’s teachers as good role models.

“In a time where traditional forms of community are breaking down, four in five parents (82 per cent) can count on their school community to be supportive in times of need,” Ms Fell said.

It is a sentiment echoed to CEO of school financier Edstart, Jack Stevens.

“We find that parents are most concerned with finding a school that is the right fit for their child — that’s not just about private schools either, the same pattern occurs with parents choosing between different government schools,” Mr Stevens said.

”They understand what a significant impact a school (and especially individual teachers) can have on a child’s future … it’s less about pure traditional academic education and more about developing a worldly, well-rounded child with the emotional intelligence and resilience to succeed regardless of what the future throws at them.”