The last 6 months have been some of the most difficult and unpredictable in living memory for all of us, especially for those in education. Students, parents and schools have been left to fend for themselves in a digital world, with very little notice. The efforts of parents in particular during this time have been exceptional, with the large majority having far more involvement in their child’s education than they ever have before.
Despite this, nobody can pretend that school closures have not had a significant effect on the development of students and their learning. That makes the next academic year incredibly important, with some students now trying to fit 18 months of education into 12 months, in order to prepare for SATs or GCSE exams.
Approaching this year in the right way and making a fast start will be pivotal to the success of students. Here are our top tips to make sure your children succeed:
Make contact with school: School needs to know that you are willing to help your child this year, and they will be more than happy to give you ways you can help them at home. This also opens a line of communication, making it far more likely that any small problems your child is having will be brought to your attention.
Get organised: This year will probably seem overwhelming to your child at first. They are going to need to do some extra work at home, and as their parent you can help make sure they have the time and structure in place to do that. Try and plan out a typical week, add in sporting commitments and other regular appointments, then try and find the gaps when studying could take place. We all work best when in a strong routine, and developing a weekly timetable helps us all know what we’re doing and when. Things will come up and the timetable will not be stuck to militarily, but it certainly helps.
Take an interest: Hopefully this year you won’t need to become their teacher again, but having a brief overview of what they are studying, and learning along with your child, shows them that you are in this together, and that you care.
Profile subject knowledge: Students have been home schooled for 6 months now so there are going to be gaps in their knowledge. Finding out what these are and addressing them is key. This year’s learning will be building on last year’s knowledge, so if its not there, they will struggle. Maths wise, our website has some great free tools that students and parents can use to identify strengths and weaknesses in knowledge. For any other subjects please contact me and I will be more than happy to help.
Fill in the gaps: If private tutoring is an option to help fill in these knowledge gaps, doing this earlier rather than later will have more impact on the student’s learning. If this is not an option, become familiar with some great websites out there that can help students improve.
This academic year is going to be a tough one, but with a supportive parent behind them and the right structure in place, they can do it!
If you would like any help with supporting your children this year, please call 07884 296450 to book your first session or visit www.totalmathstutoring.co.uk
Get your first tutoring session FREE using code: LOOKLOCAL*
About Craig: I have been a secondary school teacher for 7 years, mainly working with low achieving GCSE students and secondary students who did not achieve the required standards in primary school. During that time I have researched and implemented successful programs to improve pupil attainment. Total Maths Tutoring has been operating for over 5 years and has supported 100’s of students in that time, achieving a 96% pass rate in GCSE exams last year.
