Now that the educational landscape has changed so dramatically, we will be advising our parents how they can help mitigate against the knock-on effects of a six-month period away from the classroom. Which homeschooling methods really do work and how best to maintain progress and a healthy work ethic, prior to the start of a new school year.
For many parents this unsettled period in their child’s education has come at a crucial stage, for example, 11+ preparation, GCSE & A’ Level (internal assessments), continuing SEN support or transitioning to Senior School.
1. Knowledge is everything and gaining a clearer picture of your child’s educational profile is incredibly useful. Be informed about their curriculum, homework and deadlines, textbooks and resources, current and predicted grade-levels and re-visit school reports. Parents regularly contact us for an Academic Assessment (delivered digitally in partnership with CEM) which, on completion at home, provides a detailed report with advice and signposting.
2. Make a plan setting out your short-term and long-term objectives. Consider what you want to accomplish daily, weekly, and what is the end goal. Be realistic, know your child and what is achievable.
3. Be organised and structure is vital. Designate a workspace, use a filing system and draw up a weekly schedule with your child, considering how you want to break up your child’s academic schedule for each subject. Remember academics are not the only component of a child’s education. Factor in time for extracurricular activities such as exercise, baking, board games etc..
4. We are in this together, don’t feel entirely isolated. Consider starting a homeschooling parent group sharing tips resources and activities, and scheduling projects together, marking or assessing via Zoom. It will help your child realise that you are not the only parent homeschooling and will help you connect with people in the same boat. There is a lot of helpful information online but there is nothing like personal advice and speaking to a professional who can help put things in perspective. We understand how incredibly difficult this challenge is and we are here to help advise on education at any time.
5. Don’t beat yourself up. We all recognise that homeschooling is tremendously difficult and there will be good days and bad days, and sometimes that mountain will seem too hard to climb. You might be juggling your own work, having to teach children of different ages, trying to get a teenager out of bed or lacking meaningful support from the school. Introducing a third party into the mix can be beneficial to family life and our on-line tutors have never been so busy helping and mentoring similar families throughout this crisis.
We hope this has been useful and please do get in touch with any concerns, offering solutions is the best part of our job.