Weekly boarding at St Swithun’s enables pupils to enjoy more activities than ever before
Your burning education questions answered by those in the know
Q: What?s the best way to help with homework"

A: Many teachers would say homework is designed for your child to practise what they have learnt at school independently in order to embed their learning. However, it is right to help enable your child with their homework. This does not mean completing it for them or correcting every mistake. Instead, see homework as your child?s chance to share with you what they have learnt or experienced at school. Avoid using this as an opportunity to share with them how you learnt at school. This will merely confuse your child and give them yet another set of expectations and methods to remember. For children who are disorganised or struggle due to dyslexia, help with the  practicalities. Have an identical pencil case for home and one that remains at school. Then there can be no anxiety over forgotten kit or writing with a pen that isn?t as comfortable. Also establish a routine ? for example, home, snack, homework, chill, dinner, bed. Decide what works for your family and stick to it.
At St Catherine?s, we encourage the use of iPads as an organisational tool. If your child uses an iPad at school, remember they can take a photo of their homework task written on the board, or examples shared by teachers. Nothing makes a child more anxious than having written out their homework but...