learning – Page 14 – The NEN – North Edinburgh News

Schools encouraged to use free video content

ClickView has been selected by the National e-Learning Partnership to host West OS online learning content created by schools, local authorities and RICs to support online remote learning.
To complement this learning content, ClickView is offering schools in Scotland free access to its full range of curriculum aligned video learning content, free of charge until March 31, 2021.
All schools in Scotland are encouraged to benefit from the offer

To help teachers engage students in remote learning the National e-Learning Partnership and leading video content provider, ClickView, are offering all schools across Scotland free access to their full range of dynamic, highly visual resources.

Already trusted by many Scottish schools and local authorities including Edinburgh and Inverclyde ClickView was selected to host and stream the National e-Learning Partnership’s West OS pre-recorded content, providing a secure and reliable vehicle to share a growing bank of over 1000 valuable, teacher recorded videos, with schools across Scotland.

In addition to this, the National e-Learning Partnership agreed with ClickView to offer all schools across Scotland the opportunity to have full use of its high-quality curriculum aligned content to supplement and extend the West OS provision. The three-month agreement valued at nearly £500k is currently being offered until the end of March, to support schools through lockdown.

Gayle Gorman, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, said, “Schools and practitioners are working hard to develop and deliver remote learning across the country.

“It’s fantastic that practitioners in Scotland now have free access to ClickView’s educational videos to provide additional support for the work they are doing locally at this time. Complementing the National e-Learning offer, this further strengthens the overall national offer of support for remote learning.”

Michael Wilkinson, managing director of ClickView, said, “As lockdown continues, the majority of teachers are finding it increasingly hard to motivate their students. Today’s students’ preferred format of information consumption is video. Curriculum aligned video-based learning content brings together movement and noise to convey an efficient message and capture their attention.

“ClickView and the National e-Learning Partnership encourage all schools to take up this offer to help them through the current challenges of remote learning. This doesn’t just mean learning can continue outside of physical classrooms, but provides the opportunity to revitalise traditional education practices, putting transformative world-class resources at their fingertips, for meaningful experiences at all levels of learning.”

John Stuart, workstream lead officer at the West Partnership, said, “We are delighted that West OS is hosted on ClickView because it provides the ideal platform for learners and school staff in Scotland to access on demand, high quality educational content as part of the National e-Learning Offer.

ClickView’s current offer of free access to their educational videos until the end of March, complements the continually growing bank of West OS content to provide excellent support for remote learning.”

To find out more, visit Clickview.co.uk.

Helping Hermie: Hibernian Community Foundation donate lap desks to support Primary pupils

Pupils at Hermitage Park Primary in Leith are sitting comfortably while learning from home, thanks to Hibernian Community Foundation’s donations of multi-purpose lap desks.

Depute Head Teacher Lisa Black explained: “Hermitage Park Primary is a Hibernian Community Foundation partner school. The foundation is keen to help us remove any barriers to learning our pupils may face.

“When I approached them to share my concern that many of our pupils did not have a desk space for home learning, they were keen to help”.

Lisa was troubled by survey findings from ‘The second wave of the Understanding Society COVID-19 survey’: “I read that over 30% of children lived in homes that did not have enough desk space for them to undertake home learning. This percentage increases to almost 40% for children living in low income households.

“Many of our pupils were working from their bed. Whilst this is not ideal, the lap desks give them a hard surface on which to work. This has benefits for their learning as well as their physical health promoting better posture,” Lisa continued.

“It also tackles the issue of overcrowded homes as pupils can carry their desk to any convenient spot and work at a place which suits them”.

They are already proving a hit with pupils who say their home learning has improved since getting a lap desk:

“My handwriting is better because I have something to lean on” says P6 pupil Brandyn.

“I like the pockets as I can organise myself and that makes me feel less stressed” says Jenna P7.

P7 Abdul’s mum is a fan because he says, “I don’t leave all my work scattered on the floor!”

Lisa concluded: “We appreciate the challenges families face when undertaking home learning.

“This helps us to improve the physical environment for our pupils and we are grateful to Hibernian community foundation for their continued support.”

Edinburgh College to host Virtual Open Days

Edinburgh College is hosting Virtual Open Days this week, allowing people thinking of studying in 2021/22 to find out everything there is to know about starting college.

The virtual events – taking place from 10am until 12pm on Friday 19 February and from 10am until 2pm on Saturday 20 February – will give those in attendance the chance to speak to teaching staff about the courses on offer and discover the best study options available to them.

During both Virtual Open Days, prospective students will have the opportunity to: watch videos on application information including funding and student support; speak to college staff via a dedicated Virtual Open Day contact line (0131 297 8300); attend live question and answer sessions with course teams; and watch video presentations showcasing all Edinburgh College subject areas.

Course areas include: Art and Design, Computing and Digital Skills, Performing Arts, Engineering and Built Environment, Childcare, Health Professions, Business and Legal, and much more.

To attend the live question and answer sessions, attendees must register using an online form on the Edinburgh College website: www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk/virtual-open-days. These sessions will be hosted on Microsoft Teams; however an account is not required to join.

Edinburgh College Principal Audrey Cumberford (above) said: “We’re looking forward to hosting our first ever Virtual Open Days and meeting lots of prospective new students online ahead of the 2021/22 session.

“The past year has been a challenging time for us all, but Edinburgh College stands ready to continue educating and training the workforce of the future.

“Our College is in prime position to support people who may now require to boost their existing skillset in a digital environment, for instance, or to retrain in a new area. Similarly, we’re here to support those embarking on the first steps in their career journey.

“We have more than 700 courses delivered through a mixture of online and on-campus learning, with expert lecturers and support staff across the piece to guide our students on their way achieving their career goals.”

For more information, visit: www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk/virtual-open-days

Teach children about love and friendships on Valentine’s Day

Why Valentine’s Day isn’t just for grown-ups

Former primary school teacher Oli Ryan of education resources experts PlanBee says that while adults tend to focus on romantic expressions of love, February 14 is an ideal opportunity to show children how to demonstrate compassionate love and kindness to friends and family:

What is Valentine’s Day?

Valentine’s Day is a saint’s day in the Christian calendar when the martyrdom of a Saint Valentine is celebrated; Saint Valentine was buried on February 14.

Who was St Valentine?

It depends who you ask, and which St Valentine you’re talking about. There are 11 saints named Valentine according to the Roman Catholic Church. Most commentators agree, however, that Valentine’s Day celebrates Saint Valentine of Rome, a priest who ministered to persecuted Christians living in the Roman Empire.

DID YOU KNOW …

 Britons are predicted to spend more than £900m on Valentine’s Day in 2021 (statista.com)

 Men tend to spend more than women on Valentine’s Day (statista.com)

 Unsurprisingly, most lovers intend to celebrate at home this year – getting a takeaway or cooking a meal, and watching a movie together (finder.com)

 Many people express their love for one another publicly on social media

Five Valentine’s Day traditions around the world

In Wales, it’s traditional to give your loved one a hand-carved wooden ‘love spoon’!
In Finland and Estonia, 14th February is better known as the ‘Day of Friends’. Rather than expressing romantic love, friends show their affection for one another by exchanging gifts or meeting up to spend time together.
In Japan, women give gifts to men on Valentine’s Day.
Italians and Brazilians celebrate Valentine’s Day in a big way: typically, music festivals and street parties are held
Slovenia has so much love to give that it celebrates twice! March 12 is Saint Gregory’s Day, the Slovenian lover’s day. Children and adults make little lights and float them on lakes and rivers, marking the start of spring.

How was Valentine’s Day celebrated in the UK in the past?

In the UK, it was once more typical to send a card or a love note anonymously, perhaps leaving a clue about yourself for your love interest to work out.

In Scotland, it was popular to play a parlour game where single men would put their name into a hat. An equal number of single women would take turns drawing a name. The man who they picked would then accompany the woman for the rest of the day.

In England, women used to write the names of potential lovers on little pieces of paper, then roll them together inside a ball of clay. They would then drop the clay ball into the water. Whichever name rose to the surface first would be their one true love.

How to teach children about love and kindness on Valentine’s Day

At PlanBee, we think Valentine’s Day is a great opportunity to teach children not only about why it’s important to express love for a partner but also how to strengthen friendships – just like the Finnish and Slovenians.

As well as sharing these fascinating facts about the day, you could arrange an activity for your child to do with a friend.

There are some lovely lockdown-friendly activities you could arrange for your children, to help foster their friendships at a time when it’s difficult for them to meet up.

Five great activities for fostering children’s friendships

1. Arrange a treasure hunt with another family

This is a lovely activity which your child will love to plan and personalise for a good friend. Place secret notes, painted pebbles, Christmas decorations or even make ‘nature art‘ along a short walking route. Write out some clues, and post it through your friend’s door. Next week, invite them to do the same for you and your family. Don’t forget to pick everything up afterwards.

2. Pen pals

Children love to share things with their friends, including pictures, poems and stories they’ve written themselves. Suggest the idea to your child. Hopefully, it will inspire them to write something nice to a friend, which you can either post in the mail or hand-deliver to their letterbox.

3. Book swaps

Arrange a book swap for your child and one or more of their friends. They can select one or two of their favourite books to swap for a while. It will give them something to talk about with their friends on Zoom! You could even provide some blank bookmarks on which they can write a little review of the book for their friend to read.

4. Video games

It’s easy to think of playing video games as a solitary activity, but these days it’s more often a social experience. With your child, choose a collaborative—rather than a competitive—game they could play online with a close friend (we like Splatoon and Overcooked – both good examples of child-friendly, cooperative gaming which your children will also enjoy playing with you.) Remember to plug in a headset so they can talk to each other.

5. Parlour games

With classes conducted over Zoom, children are pretty much over video meetings. Giving them a bit of structure will make virtual playdates much more enjoyable. Talk to them about how to play simple parlour games like Charades or Animal, Vegetable, Mineral – or help them set up their own version of ‘Kim’s Game’ to challenge their friends.

With a bit of imagination, there are all sorts of traditional parlour games which can be played over a video call.

Download these resources to help your child develop kindness and friendship here.

Support confirmed for dental students

The British Dental Association Scotland has welcomed action from the Scottish Government in response to its call to support dental undergraduates who face having to repeat a year owing to COVID disruption.

A bursary of up to £6,750 will now be offered to students at Aberdeen, Dundee and Glasgow Dental Schools that all moved to defer graduation given the limitations on clinical contact in the last year.

The BDA issued an open letter to Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport Jeane Freeman, and Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills John Swinney on 2 February, calling for necessary action to prevent the next generation of dentists being saddled with unmanageable debt.

Scottish dental students can already expect to graduate with debts of over £34,000. An additional year of study without a bursary would have pushed levels to over £40,000.

The Scottish Government has also confirmed it will continue to support trainers and trainees, based in NHS practices across Scotland. The BDA has renewed its call on the Scottish Government to provide additional funding to dental schools to mitigate the financial losses associated with today’s announcement.

David McColl, Chair of the British Dental Association’s Scottish Dental Practice Committee said: “This is the leadership we’ve needed from the Scottish Government.

“No one wanted graduations to be deferred, but now the next generation of dentists have real certainty, support, and protection from what would have been eye-watering levels of debt.

“It’s inevitable that COVID will widen oral health inequalities that have long blighted Scotland. We can draw some comfort that Ministers have helped secure the pipeline of new talent we’ll need to meet these challenges.”

Public Health Minister Mairi Gougeon said: “This difficult but necessary decision by Scotland’s Dental Schools will be extremely disappointing news for dental students across the country. This is not their fault and that is why the Scottish Government is doing all we can to support them and ensure they do not suffer financially.

“Due to the potential risk of spreading COVID from aerosol generating procedures, dental training has had to be restricted and many students have not gained the necessary clinical experience this year which has resulted in the difficult decision to defer graduation.

“To ensure dental students who have to repeat a year are supported, we are giving each student an extra year’s bursary to the value to of their normal student loan of up to £6,750.

“Aerosol procedures are common in dentistry placements and unusual in other student placements. Therefore we are assured that despite the wider impact on clinical placements for other controlled entry university subjects, such as medicine, nursing and midwifery, students on those courses will not be required to repeat a year and any extensions to their programmes will be covered by other arrangements.

“The quality and calibre of dental treatment in Scotland is outstanding and it needs to be protected by taking the appropriate measures in education to ensure future dental professionals have reached the General Dental Council’s standard of clinical competence and can enter the workforce with confidence.”

Scottish schoolgirls succeed in UK cyber security competition

Pupils at nine schools in Scotland have been successful in reaching the semi-final stage of the 2021 CyberFirst Girls Competition, run by part of GCHQ.

Girls in Scotland have demonstrated their digital skills and codebreaking prowess by seeing off competition from thousands of rivals in the UK’s flagship cyber security contest.

Pupils at nine schools in Scotland have been successful in reaching the semi-final stage of the 2021 CyberFirst Girls Competition, run by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) – a part of GCHQ.

More than 6,500 girls nationwide entered this year’s qualifying round, with teams from more than 600 schools tackling online cyber security puzzles for a chance to be named local champions and progress to the UK Grand Final.

The highest scoring teams will next take on their rivals in semi-finals in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and English regions. Schools that have already accepted their place in the virtual semi-final include: Hyndland Secondary School in Glasgow and Carluke High School in Carluke.

The NCSC is highlighting the strong nationwide participation in the contest and the success of semi-finalists today on the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.

The CyberFirst Girls Competition is aimed at girls aged 12 to 13 starting to think about what subjects to take for their initial qualifications and its ambition is to inspire them to consider a career in cyber security – an industry where women are still under-represented.

NCSC Deputy Director for Cyber Growth, Chris Ensor said: “On International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we’re pleased to say that thousands of girls came forward to compete in this year’s CyberFirst Girls Competition and we congratulate the top teams which now go forward into the semi-finals.

“These girls have opened the door to what could one day be an exciting and rewarding career, where more female representation is undoubtedly needed.

“We owe a special thanks to teachers who encouraged pupils to take up this fun opportunity to engage with – and hopefully be inspired by – cyber security.”

Digital Infrastructure Minister Matt Warman said: “It is marvellous to see so many girls showing an interest in cyber security and well done to those who made it to the next round.

“The cyber security industry needs talented people and I hope everyone who took part had fun and felt inspired to consider an exciting career cracking codes, disrupting cyber attacks and protecting our online spaces.”

UK Government Minister for Scotland Iain Stewart said: “The UK Government is proud to be working with Scottish schools to support girls into cyber security.

“This competition is a great opportunity for girls right across the UK to learn together and develop digital skills for a 21st century workforce.

“Best of luck to the Scottish pupils who have worked incredibly hard to get this far.”

Since launching in 2017, more than 37,000 girls have taken part in the CyberFirst Girls Competition.

This year’s semi-final rounds will take place simultaneously on Friday 19 March in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and five English regions: the North of England, Central England, the South West, the South East and London.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “The CyberFirst Girls Competition is a fantastic opportunity for girls to develop new skills and get a taste of just how rewarding a career in cyber security can be.

“Good luck to all those taking part this year.”

The challenges, covering cryptography, logic and networking, will be set by the NCSC with input from cyber security industry partners. The winners of these events will earn their place at the Grand Final in April, where the UK champions will be crowned.

More information about the competition can be found on the NCSC’s website

New free virtual ad course for young talent

‘The AD-Cademy’ launches nationwide

The AD-Cademy, a free, 8-week virtual course has officially launched nationwide, kickstarting improved access to the advertising, marketing and digital industries for younger talent, no matter their background.

The course is targeted at 18-25 year-olds across the UK, to prioritise the next generation of creative stars entering the advertising industries in the wake of diminishing opportunities caused by the pandemic.

Developed by the award-winning employment inclusion project, Brixton Finishing School, the AD-Cademy’s aim is to ensure the progression of multicultural and working class talent into the creative and technology industries.

The programme has been designed with national reach and accessibility in mind, to ensure that fresh talent from the 20 most challenged places in the UK and Scotland, including Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow, stop being overlooked by agencies which can have a London-leaning bias when it comes to recruitment.

The programme is packed with industry masterclasses and professional skills workshops. It has been created to upskill participants in key aspects of marketing, creativity, and digital, help build their networks and increase the chance of them securing a role through employability workshops including personal branding, accountability, interview tips, and CV writing.

The course modules have been designed to allow participants to learn from home and fit it in around their schedule, and graduates will have an opportunity to be placed in the industry at an agency. 200 young people are actively learning in the course so far.

The AD-Cademy is supported by big name sponsors including KFC, and will feature presentations and workshops from some of the biggest advertising and media agencies and technology partners, including Adam & Eve DDB, Saatchi & Saatchi, R/GA, GSK, Mail Metro Media, Clear Channel, Kinetic, Wolff Olins, Blis, RAPP, AD YOU LIKE, Anomaly, Amplify, Brand Advance, Oglivy, 21st Century Brand, Oliver, Westmill, M&C Saatchi and 1000 Heads.

Launched in 2018, the Brixton Finishing School is the brainchild of Ally Owen, former exec at Unruly, MailOnline and Yahoo. Ally saw the urgent need to diversify talent in advertising and encourage untapped talent from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds – whether multicultural, neuro-diverse, or female – into the industry through training and work experience.

Ally Owen, Founder of Brixton Finishing School said: “The AD-cademy is a game-changing moment for the rebalancing of the future talent pipeline at scale. Young people in Liverpool, Burnley, Manchester, Glasgow and all across the country will have access to amazing teachings from some of the stars of the creative and media industries.

“The AD-Cademy will be an awesome self-serve learning platform of lectures, as well as showcases and events that will enrich young people’s knowledge of the advertising industry.

Ally Owen concluded: “Covid-19 is having a hugely negative impact on young people’s futures across the country. Internships and work experience opportunities have been put on ice as businesses look to stay afloat, and entry-level roles have all but disappeared.

“Brixton Finishing School’s mission has always been to break down the barriers that prevent young people from working class, multicultural and neurodiverse backgrounds having an equal chance to succeed in their careers. It’s also incredibly important to challenge companies to see the massive value you get from a diverse and inclusive workforce.”

To register interest, participants should visit: https://www.theadcademy.org/

ERASMUS +: How can Scotland rejoin the largest education programme in the world?

Erasmus-Plus webinar: 4pm, Monday 8^th February

The UK Government has withdrawn from a proven scheme that has involved over 10m young people – students, apprentices and more – in exchanges across Europe in favour of an untested one-way scheme. But the Scottish and Welsh Governments are talking to Brussels about rejoining Erasmus.

How good are the prospects? Join us at 4:00 pm on Monday 8 February when we will examine why Erasmus-Plus has been such a success, why the mooted replacement Turing scheme is no alternative and how Scottish and Welsh young people should continue to enjoy the huge opportunities the EU scheme offers.

Chaired by Mark Lazarowicz, Chair of the European Movement in Scotland, we draw on the expertise of three/four authorities, including the founding spirit behind Erasmus, to explore the challenges and options ahead.

From Glasgow, Prof Anton Muscatelli, principal of Glasgow University and senior advisor to the Scottish Government, will give us his in-depth knowledge of an extensive range of economic and European issues. The university has been Britain’s biggest HE participant in the scheme.

From Cardiff, Hywel Ceri Jones, former European Commission director for education, who led the design and implementation of Erasmus and became director general for employment, social policy and industrial relations, will give a Welsh and European perspective.

From Glasgow, Rachel Sandison, vice principal, external relations, Glasgow University, will offer insights into we can best negotiate Scotland’s and Wales’s re-entry to the scheme.

From Glasgow Mary Senior is Scotland’s official of the Universities and Colleges Union since 2009 and has been STUC (Scottish Trades Union Congress ) President since November 2020. Originally from the West Midlands, Mary has two decades of working within the trade union movement in Scotland.

This event is organised in association with the Young European Movement.

At the end of the webinar, the President, Julius Lajtha, will speak about their campaign on Erasmus.

Applications for the Royal Veterinary College Summer Schools are now open

The RVC is calling for students from Years 10, 11 and 12 to apply for its 2021 Summer Schools

Applications for the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) 2021 Summer Schools, including the RVC Sutton Trust Summer School, are now open for students in Year 10, Year 11 and Year 12.

The outreach team is calling for those who meet the Widening Participation eligibility criteria to apply for the opportunity of gaining experience of what it is like to study animal science careers including Veterinary Medicine, Biosciences and Veterinary Nursing.

Taking place between July and August 2021, the three RVC Summer Schools offer students first-hand insight into what it is like to study at the internationally renowned RVC. As part of this, participants will get involved with online lectures, virtual practical demonstrations, and question and answer sessions with world-leading researchers.

This year, the RVC also hopes to be able to welcome each of the participants to campus for at least one day to gain hands-on experiences across its animal hospitals, Clinical Skills Centre, laboratories, and farm.

Following the success of last year’s Summer School, which was the first to be hosted online due to the pandemic, 91 per cent of participants surveyed either agreed or strongly agreed that the Summer School made them feel more confident about applying to university. Additionally, 91 per cent of respondents felt like they would fit in at the RVC after taking part.

Varying from two to five days experience, students were able to meet current RVC students and professionals, take part in online lectures, virtual dissection demonstrations, team projects and social activities led by RVC Student Ambassadors including a pet show and tell, an escape room and lockdown Zoom quizzes.

Reflecting on the 2020 Summer School, one student, Kaya, said: “I found the lectures and videos fascinating and enjoyed learning about new topics such as animal handling.

“I also feel much more confident in my career goals, as before the summer school started, I was unsure if I wanted to be a vet or vet nurse, but now I have decided on veterinary nursing.”

Reflecting on their child’s experience of the 2020 Summer School, one parent said: “My daughter has really enjoyed attending. This is the start of her childhood dream to be a vet and I can see her enthusiasm has grown this week thanks to you. Even before she started you sent her some items to help her in the sessions, she was over the moon.

“I’d like to extend my utter gratitude to you and take this opportunity just to say thank you all so very much.”

Both the RVC Summer Schools (for Years 10 and 11) and RVC 2021 Sutton Trust Summer School (Year 12) are part of the RVC’s Widening Participation Scheme which was established to support young people who are under-represented at the RVC on their journey to studying animal science.

The RVC runs a range of programmes for young people from low-income backgrounds, areas with low participation in Higher Education, and targeted groups such as care experienced young people, asylum seekers, or young people from ethnic minority backgrounds.

Nina Davies, Director of RVC Access and International Engagement, said: “We are so proud of the success our Summer Schools have had in engaging students from the widest possible range of backgrounds and providing them with an experience that may encourage them to study with us.

“We work hard to ensure students from underrepresented backgrounds have equal access to the RVC, feel welcome here and able to achieve their goals.

“I would like to encourage any young budding animal enthusiasts and prospective vets out there, to take part in one of our Summer Schools this year; it is a wonderful experience for young people seriously considering a future in animal sciences.”

The RVC has a long history of running Summer Schools and has hosted the RVC Sutton Trust Summer School since 2013. This year it will offer 60 young people from underrepresented backgrounds the chance to take part.

Applications close on 2 March 2021.

To apply or to find out more information, visit: rvc.uk.com/SummerSchools or contact the Outreach Team on outreach@rvc.ac.uk

Will Dads pull their weight on homeschooling this time round?

Just 11.8 % of fathers took the lead on helping their children keep up to speed during the first lockdown

As mums and dads return to home schooling, will the burden fall more equally this time round?

It turned out that mothers were picking up almost all the home teaching burden during the first schools lockdown, with just 11.8 percent of fathers taking the lead on helping their children keep up to speed.

That was the shock finding from a survey of hundreds of parents of primary school-aged children carried out by leading education resources and lesson plan experts PlanBee.

PlanBee’s Oli Ryan, a former primary school teacher, said: ‘We know that not all families are willing or able to help their children with home learning, but we were amazed to find that there was such a huge gender disparity in terms of who was taking up the teaching mantle.’

He continued: ‘The vast majority of primary school workforce are women, but we still find it surprising that when it comes to home teaching Dads appear to be doing so little. If it’s a sign that teaching young children is considered to be “women’s work”, it’s pretty alarming.’

And parents – the vast majority, women – were allocating significant parts of their day to home schooling, with over a quarter (27.7 percent) spending more than four hours a day on it.

Now, many parents are reporting that because schools have had time to prepare their home schooling lessons, the quality is much improved.

In March, an extremely limited number of subjects were being sent to pupils at home by their schools. Nearly all respondents said they had received work in Maths (93.04 percent) and English (92.17 percent), with science in third place at just 38.26 percent.

Fitting in home schooling with other work and other commitments was the top challenge for parents, with over a third (35.29) per cent citing it. Keeping their children engaged with learning was second biggest bugbear, at 31.09 percent.

And just 10.92 percent said they were loving home-schooling their children!

Nearly 40 percent of the respondents were primary school teachers as well as parents. And home-schooling was having a big impact on parents’ perception of teaching, with nearly one-third (33.6 percent) saying it had altered their attitude.

Parents have now deluged schools inspectorate Ofsted with emails and Tweets praising teachers and school staff for their work during the pandemic citing how quickly schools had set up work on short notice following the last-minute lockdown.

One respondent to the PlanBee survey remarked: ‘Trying to get children engaged to learn is very hard! I know it’s a challenging time, but my Year 4 struggles to engage if he doesn’t like the subject and I can see how that would translate in the classroom! Hats off to all teachers!’

A teacher-parent said that home-schooling was quite different from work: ‘I am a teacher but it’s different when trying to teach your own!!’

And for teacher-parents, the challenges were particularly marked: ‘I now have to teach the children in my class remotely as well as home school my own child. I respect myself and my colleagues a lot more.’

Another said: ‘Although I work in nurseries and I’m qualified as a teaching assistant, I don’t think I realised just how much work (and patience) goes into teaching.’

Mr Ryan said: ‘It’s great that so many parents are showing their appreciation for teachers by writing to Ofsted. As to whether Dads will do their fair share of home schooling remains to be seen. I won’t hold my breath!’