Northern Ireland

Families struggling to engage in home schooling

While many families are taking part in new activities, others are struggling to engage with education
While many families are taking part in new activities, others are struggling to engage with education

ALMOST one quarter of families are not taking part in home-schooling with their children, a survey has found.

Research from the charity BookTrust suggested that while many families were dealing with lockdown by taking part in new activities, both on and off line, others were struggling to engage with education and reading.

Unsurprisingly, screen time was found to be booming, as digital devices are now being used for educational purposes as well as socialising with friends and families.

The survey found that gaming was more popular than school work with children aged four to 11.

It also revealed that 22 per cent of families with primary school aged children were not doing any home education with them and 14 per cent were not reading with their children.

More than half of parents said they were finding it hard to stick to a timetable and 75 per cent said they were taking a 'flexible' approach to school work.

Gemma Malley, Director at BookTrust, said many families were making the most of this challenging time to spend time reading together, with one in 10 reading their child a bedtime story for the first time.

"Reading together isn't just great to children's educational outcomes; it also builds resilience, confidence and opens up conversations on difficult issues," she said.

"With schools closed, reading together has never been more important."