How to create a productive homeschooling environment for your child’s self-isolation

It has been reported that more than 172,000 school children are currently self-isolating across England. There are notions that such strict self-isolation rules may be lifted in Autumn, but until then it’s important to make sure children are able to learn as best as they can at home. The BBC has just reported that “one mother said providing home learning was “really difficult”, while another said remote lessons were a “poor substitute for being in the classroom”. In light of this, leading online tutoring platform MyTutor has put together some tips to try and help parents and children create a productive home-schooling environment in the event they need to self-isolate.

1. Set up a space
The first thing to organise is a desk in a quiet corner of the house. In a nationally representative survey from MyTutor, it was found that 57% of parents set up a desk in an attempt to emulate a classroom environment. Here your teen can keep their laptop, textbooks and notes – they’ll find it much easier to focus and the rest of the family can continue life as normal. Also, schools normally provide things like flashcards, exercise books and planners, so be ready to supply these yourself if necessary.

2. Keep healthy screen and social media habits
Teens spend a lot of time on apps speaking with their friends anyway – and isolation will only increase their desire to communicate socially. While some communication will be positive for their mental health, the opposite is true when social media fuels feelings of isolation and anxiety. You’ll need to set some ground rules for how phones are used during the day, and keep an eye on your child’s mood.

3. Find some online learning resources
You’re likely to run into situations where your child doesn’t understand some of their course content and you’re unable to help. In these situations, having some resources ready is wise. Look up the subject specifications for the exam boards your child is studying and bookmark any online resources that can help you out. MyTutor have lots of free online study resources for kids to use – 10,000 answers for GCSE, A Level and IB questions to be precise! In our research we’ve found that 48% of parents used to think tutoring was unnecessary but have absolutely relied on it throughout the pandemic, with 44% stating they’ll continue to invest in it once things go back to normal.

4. Find personalised support
Self-study is an incredibly hard skill to master and secondary school pupils may struggle without someone actively explaining concepts to them. It’s worth finding an online tutor who can help your child fill in any gaps in their knowledge. MyTutor offers one-to-one tuition at GCSE, A Level and IB. The handpicked tutors give personalised learning in over 40 subjects including online english lessons, online maths lessons and online science lessons. It really works too, as tutees often report, on average, a whole grade’s improvement in 12 lessons.

5. Keep an extra eye on their mental health
This has been a challenging past 9 months for teens and parents, and it’s as important as ever to look out for signs that your child is struggling with their mental health. Despondency and withdrawal or anger and higher-than-usual levels of irritability can all point to stress. Make sure they make plenty of time to relax and unwind each day, and leave time each day to have a chat and check in with how they’re feeling. There are also lots of great services you can call on for support such as Kooth and YoungMinds.

Key stats*:

48% of Brits used to think tutoring was unnecessary but since the pandemic they now think it’s really valuable
44% of parents will continue to invest in online tutoring for their children post-pandemic
46% say that child is set up on a sofa or wherever they feel comfortable as I feel like that is best for them to learn from home
57% say that their child has a set place for a desk for home-schooling in the attempt to emulate a classroom environment
58% say that their child currently works in silence or with the backdrop of normal household noises during their home-schooling
*(nationally representative research commissioned in April 2021, in full compliance with the British Polling Council Guidelines)

The Zoom classroom is out, online tutoring is in:

The benefits of online tutoring are two-fold: alongside providing educational support, the one-on-one personal interaction offers pastoral support which ensures they are no longer lost in a sea of faces on a zoom call. Having a personalised education which is specific to learning style along with external influences such as age and geographical location has immense benefits. This familiarity also became ever more valuable as lockdown attributed to poor mental health and isolation of children who missed their school friends and interaction with their teachers.

“Teens need support now more than ever”: Bertie Hubbard, co-founder of EdTech platform MyTutor, discusses the impact which the pandemic has had on the mental wellbeing of young people across the nation:

“The last fifteen months have been unbelievably tough year on teens and parents alike with months out of school, exam cancellations, not seeing friends and worrying about Covid-19. As schools open again, catching up on lost learning and prepping for assessed work this term will bring another set of challenges for teens.

They’re in more need than ever for some support and reassurance with their studies, and that’s exactly what our tutors offer. Our tutors are all from UK universities, and because they’re just a few years older they can easily relate to what teens are going through. With their dedicated one-to-one support, teens get some much-needed reassurance and come out with a stronger self-belief – 88% say that lessons made them feel more confident.

Rather than replacing teachers with robots, the biggest power of EdTech lies in enhancing person-to-person learning. At MyTutor, we provide online tuition that raises kids’ grades, boosts confidence and helps them fulfil their potential in life. Because it’s online, kids get access to amazing tutors from across the country, rather than whoever’s nearby. As there’s no travel for the student or the tutors, it also saves time and money travelling – reducing the cost and stress involved for parents.”