Parents hire tutors – to help THEM do homework
PARENTS with a shaky grasp of maths and science are turning to private tutors to help them understand their children’s homework.
A poll reveals that 82 per cent of parents with youngsters at secondary school struggle, with physics, maths and chemistry proving to be the most baffling.
Nearly two-thirds have encouraged their child to ask someone else for help or to figure it out for themselves. But 45 per cent said they have hired a private tutor, or would consider consulting one for themselves, so that they could help with after-school work.
Many parents admit they have watched YouTube videos, with two-thirds of the 1,600 parents surveyed saying it helped them get to grips with what their children were supposed to be learning. And more than a quarter said they would consider hiring a tutor for their child, though most said they would enlist extra help ‘only if they are really struggling’. Physics was voted the hardest subject, with 81 per cent of parents struggling, followed by maths (55 per cent) and chemistry (43 per cent). The easiest subjects were history, geography and religious education.
Last month, the Sutton Trust revealed that 27 per cent of secondary-school children have had private tuition, while nearly a quarter of teachers have taken on private tuition outside school in the past two years.
And last year Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker called homework ‘a waste of time’, claiming it ‘brings stress to the home, stress to the child, stress to the parents and stress to the parent-child relationship’.
But the poll by The Knowledge Academy revealed that only 11 per cent of parents agreed, with 89 per cent supporting homework in some or all subjects. However, one common complaint by parents to emerge was frequent changes to the curriculum.
Alex Dyer, founder of Tutor House, said: ‘There are a number of reasons why parents find it difficult to help their kids with homework. Communication between schools and parents is often minimal, so they worry about teaching their child the wrong thing, and in a world of distracting stimuli, getting children engaged and focused on homework can be a problem.
‘There is also the issue of what the children are learning, and a parent’s ability to keep up with it. Subject matter and methodologies are constantly changing, so they’re always going to be unfamiliar with them.’