An important player in the government's trial of parenting classes has said he wants to give free lessons to the mothers and fathers of every child in the country entering primary school.
Octavius Black, a multimillionaire contemporary of David Cameron at Eton, said he wanted to introduce his Parent Gym programme nationwide after it was included in a government trial of free parenting classes launched by the prime minister.
Cameron said the classes should be taken as seriously as driving lessons and insisted the idea to train 50,000 parents in how to bring up their children was not an example of the nanny state but "the sensible state".
Black founded the Parent Gym programme, which runs in 22 schools in the most deprived areas of London, using profits from the sale of his Mind Gym "brain workout" sessions to corporate clients. His training method has been backed by the London mayor, Boris Johnson, and involves nine two-hour sessions for parents. Themes include communication, managing relationships, play and learning, parenting styles, rules and routines, and creating a supporting and nurturing home environment.
Parent Gym is one of 15 organisations that will deliver the lessons for mums and dads as part of a trial which is expected to reach over 50,000 parents. Others include Barnardo's, Save the Children and the National Childbirth Trust.
From this week parents in Camden in north London, Middlesbrough and the High Peak area of Derbyshire can pick up a £100 taxpayer-funded voucher for the service from branches of Boots.
Cameron said the classes would provide "clear, professionally-led advice on everything from teething to tantrums".
Black said on Friday: "Our absolute dream is to provide Parent Gym to every parent whose child comes into reception [class] across the nation."
Labour this week questioned the government's decision to include Parent Gym on the list of trial providers because of "the close friendship between Octavius Black, Michael Gove and David Cameron".
"It is important that we understand what discussions Mr Black had with fellow members of the Tory government's inner circle on this policy," said Kevin Brennan, the shadow schools minister.
Black's lawyers have said he had no discussions with Cameron or Gove during the tender process. Parent Gym has also said it does not intend to make any money from the programme and will provide the classes free of charge, donating the £100 voucher to local schools.
The Parent Gym coaches are trained in the Mind Gym method, which the company says is "grounded in robust science".
The government believes its parenting programme could save taxpayers money in the long run. "The evidence shows very clearly that if we wish to give each child the chance to fulfil their potential, the foundation years before the age of five are absolutely critical," said the Department for Education. "Support during this time is both one of the most effective types of intervention, and the most cost effective."
Academic research has suggested formal training for parents could be effective in reducing future social problems but there is a lack of long-term evidence.
A recent study led by the National University of Ireland involving academics from England and Wales examined the impact of parental training on 636 people involving children aged from three to 12. It concluded "group-based parenting programmes improve childhood behaviour problems and the development of positive parenting skills in the short-term, whilst also reducing parental anxiety, stress and depression". The cost of around £1,700 per family was "modest when compared with the long-term social, educational and legal costs associated with childhood conduct problems".
