- 5% of parents now considering a career in education
- Suggested areas of improvement for streamlining home-schooling by parents revealed
After taking on part of the responsibility for educating their child, almost half (49%) of parents stated that they’re significantly more appreciative of work that teachers do and cited Maths (31%) and Sciences (26%) as the hardest subjects to teach, according to research* has revealed.
As we enter what parents hope to be the final stretch of home-schooling before pupils return to school, parents have also highlighted that more virtual contact time between teachers and children (31%) and lesson plans received further in advance (26%) and in more detail (24%) as the main areas that would provide them with more assistance. Despite this, 5% of parents have said they are now considering a career in education because of their experience home-schooling.
High Speed Training’s research, which involved polling 2,000 parents nationwide, revealed that children interested in the arts were shown to be the ones missing out on the most support whilst not in a school setting, with almost half (46%) of parents admitting that they haven’t taught their children drama, followed by music at 36%.
According to the findings, women were taking on the majority of the responsibility for home-schooling, with 90% of females admitting that they were the only ones in the household helping to educate their child – with 58% of women juggling this alongside their job.
The elongated period of home-schooling has also had a strong impact on parents’ lives across the UK, with the amount of time to relax (29%), stress and anxiety (36%) and longer working days (30%) reported as the biggest areas of concern.
Parents have also admitted that the biggest struggle was to keep their child focussed (49%), having time for education amongst other pressures (35%) and implementing structure to the day (29%). As a result, over a third of parents (39%) have admitted that their children are missing out on up to four hours of school time whilst at home.
The biggest impact on children as a result of home-schooling, according to their parents, was that they were now less active (44%), more reliant on virtual devices (38%) and were falling behind on social skills (32%).
Catherine Talbot, Education Sector Analyst and Course Lead at High Speed Training, said: “There has been a unanimous effort by both teachers and parents alike to provide the best possible education for children across the country. As we look towards the future, with children returning to school safely, it’s uplifting to see that parents are now significantly more appreciative of the hard work that goes into being a great teacher and are now considering a change in career. We urge those exploring a potential job in education to research and familiarise themselves with their area of expertise and passion, so that together we can provide the best possible education for future generations to come.”
To support those seeking additional support when home-schooling, High Speed Training has a range of free to view resources available online at https://www.highspeedtraining.co.uk/hub/