As a teacher and private tutor, I'm asked this a lot. A lot, a lot. What can I do to help my child?
Alongside this overriding question come other, more specific worries that parents have about their child’s education on a daily basis: Is the school doing enough? Should I monitor them while they do their homework?
To these questions, there is sadly no ‘yes/no’ answer. But I’m going to try and provide some clarity for you on a widely debated subject by facebook mums globally.
Just being aware of what they should learn and when is a great place to start. You are then able to be a little more actively involved in their learning and provide support where possible with homework and finding appropriate online resources which can support their learning.
What is a curriculum plan and what does it look like I hear you ask! Please see the links below that provide examples of real curriculum maps for both primary learning and secondary. A great curriculum map will show you not only what topics your child will be learning about but what skills they will be working on and what the end-of-topic or end-of-year assessment will look like. No more finding out that your child has an assessment the week before they sit it!
http://rosebank.greenschoolsonline.co.uk/docs/Curriculum_LTP_Overview.pdf
https://sandringham.herts.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Year-7-Curriculum-Maps.pdf
https://arkblake.org/sites/default/files/English%20KS3%20Curriculum%20Map.pdf
It can be confusing knowing who or where to turn to for information regarding your child’s welfare and progress.
As an experienced form tutor myself, I can attest to the fact that form tutors have less and less contact time with the pupils in their form and on the whole forward issues to the head of year who may not be in a teaching role. By contacting them first, you ultimately cut out the ‘middleman’ and ensure your situation is dealt with sooner.
If you have a positive relationship with another of your child’s teachers, however, don’t be afraid to email them directly, especially if you have a concern in that particular subject. Each department also has a phone and the main office can redirect your call there. Calling the department directly and following up with an email is a good bet.
Parents are given their own login to homework apps these days. You may have heard of ‘Show My Homework’ or ‘Class Charts’ amongst others. As much as we would love all pupils to be disciplined and self-regulating, this is not always the case.
As a parent you can access their recent, upcoming and overdue homework as well as view any communication between your child and their teacher. On other apps you can also view detentions, notes to parents, announcements, and behaviour points.
By keeping an eye on the homework being set and completed, you have a clued up understanding of what level of work your child should be capable of completing. You will also be able to decide whether you think your child is struggling to keep up with the amount of work being set or not and this will enable you to make more informed choices regarding contacting the school or seeking alternative help from Just Better Education’s qualified tutors.
Please see below the links to the FAQ pages for two popular homework apps that your child’s school may be using.
https://pages.classcharts.com/wp-content/uploads/Class_Charts_for_parents_guide.pdf
Of course, it’s frustrating to feel that five days a week at school isn’t providing the level of education your child needs. But if we are honest, 30 pupils to 1 teacher are not great odds. As a classroom teacher, speaking from experience, I can honestly say we try our absolute hardest to provide personal feedback, speak to pupils regularly about how they are finding the work and attempt to maintain high standards of pupil behaviour at all times. Class dynamics vary dramatically though and behaviour, classroom resources and the individual teacher, all play a part in your child’s success in school.
Investing in private tuition is becoming the new norm and while I massively value the state-provided education system and training, not all pupils thrive in that sort of learning environment. One-on-one tuition provides personalised learning tailored to your child’s needs. I find as a tutor myself, I become more of a mentor, teacher, advisor, and mascot for my pupils. I am able to get to know my pupil’s parents more so than as solely a school teacher and with online tuition specifically, it’s convenient for both myself and my pupil removing the stress and effort of leaving the house.
It’s a tricky conversation to have and a difficult decision to make, but if you are concerned that your child isn’t learning as much as you’d expect, or they are struggling to engage and access learning and homework across their subjects, speak to an educational professional. That might be an educational psychologist, your school's SEND (Special educational needs department) coordinator or your local GP.
While I don’t think overdiagnosing a child at an early age is a problem solver, it can be a proactive measure to ensure your child receives the extra help they need in school. This help will be provided throughout their entire education and may even result in them receiving extra lessons in core subjects, extra time in exams including GCSEs and A level exams and thinking further ahead, more support at university including access to a free laptop and textbooks.
This advice comes from years of my personal experience in teaching in mainstream secondary schools. Having conversations with colleagues, attending training courses, school trips, conversations with parents and most importantly engaging with children and supporting their learning has informed this article.
Not every tip or piece of advice will work for everyone, but this gives you somewhere to start. Remember, most importantly, above all this, is showing you care and turning up every day to help your child in their learning journey in any way you can. That is always enough.
