home schooling

Celebrating the end of home schooling sees many taking the Monday off work

Employers ‘inundated’ with requests for Back-to-School Monday off

Employers have reported a spike in last-minute annual leave requests for next Monday - and it seems exhausted parents are behind the increase.

The Government has announced that all schools will be fully reopened as of Monday (8th March), meaning many parents will be getting their first break from homeschooling in months - and some, it seems, are planning to celebrate in style,...

Parents are feeling guilt around their children in lockdown

Parental Guilt at All Time High

Research has revealed that parents are feeling more guilt than ever before due to the additional pressures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Lockdown has placed families under new and unique pressures since restrictions were first implemented in March last year.

As a result, almost three quarters of UK parents are feeling additional guilt, despite having no control over the situation...

Tips for parents to get through home schooling in lockdown

Ten tips on how to effectively homeschool

With a third national lockdown closing UK schools, Greg Smith, Head of Operations at Oxford Home Schooling , one of the UK's leading home education providers, has given his 10 top tips on how to effectively homeschool.

1. Take breaks

A bit of experimentation should identify what works best for you and the child. You might find 30-minute blasts followed by 10-minute breaks...

About 9% of children in the UK do not have access to a laptop at home

Government efforts to narrow digital divide will still leave disadvantaged children in the cold

The Government’s last-minute decision to close schools to the vast majority of children has again highlighted the so-called digital divide – the large number of homes where there are insufficient digital devices for pupils to work on – or no broadband connection at all. About 9% of children in the UK – between 1.1 million and 1.8 million – do not have access to a laptop, desktop or tablet at...

People face the hardships of home schooling and home working again in lockdown

Working from Home with Kids (Round Two)

As the reality of the next few months sinks in, more parents once again face the hardships of home schooling and home working, we explore how parents can cope with the pressures of working from home with kids (again).

“Our hearts literally sank when the Prime Minister said those words “schools are to close” because we remember what is was like last time – seriously tough times....

Learning over summer holidays

How can I keep my child learning over the summer?

Leonor Stjepic, chief executive of the Montessori Group, which offers education based on self-directed activity and hands-on learning in nurseries and schools, says: “With months of nursery and school closures, it’s understandable parents may be concerned about disruption in learning. However, especially in the early years, learning doesn’t have to be structured or rigid – in fact, it can be...

Young girl reluctant to do homework.Family. Getty Images/iStockphoto

How do I get my kids to do their lockdown schoolwork without a row?

I’m struggling to get the kids to do schoolwork during lockdown – especially my 15-year-old who doesn’t see the point as his GCSEs have been cancelled. Have you got any tips to help me deal with them without there being an almighty row?

Dr Helen Bilton, Professor of Outdoor Learning at Reading University’s Institute of Education, says: “Don’t have a conversation when emotions are...