We’re realistic about what pupils will be able to do during this period, and we want you to be too.  You're not expected to become teachers and your children aren't expected to learn as they do in school. Simply providing them with some structure at home will help them to adapt.

The following tips are designed to help you create a positive learning environment at home. See what works best for your household.

• Create and stick to a routine if you can. This is what children are used to. For example, eat breakfast at the same time and make sure they're dressed before starting the ‘school’ day – avoid staying in pyjamas!

• Involve your children in setting the timetable where possible. It’s a great opportunity for them to manage their own time better and it’ll give them ownership
• Check in with your children and try to keep to the timetable, but be flexible. If a task/activity is going well or they want more time, let it extend where possible
• If you have more than 1 child at home, consider combining their timetables. For example, they might exercise and do maths together – see what works for your household
• Designate a working space if possible, and at the end of the day have a clear cut-off to signal school time is over
• Stick the timetable up on the wall so everyone knows what they should be doing when, and tick activities off throughout the day
• Take stock at the end of each week. What's working and what isn't? Ask your children, involve them too
• Distinguish between weekdays and weekends, to separate school life and home life
• Give them chores to do so they feel more responsible about the daily routine at home
• Ask them to help you cook and bake 
• Accept that they'll probably watch more TV/spend time on their phone – that's ok but you might want to set/agree some screen time limits

Please don’t worry about your children getting behind with learning. Everyone’s in the same boat, and when things get back to normal we’ll make sure we get everyone back on track.