Today is the first day of the Easter holidays. Under normal circumstances, kids would be excitedly looking forward to seeing their friends but government regulations make this impossible. So, should they be carrying on with school work instead?
MyTutor – the UK’s leading online tutoring service – offer their stance on how children should be structuring their days during the Easter holidays.
Key Stage 1 and 2
For the younger members of this cohort, now might be time for a break. Lots of advice in recent weeks has sought to remind parents that kids do not spend every second of the school day actively learning, and so this shouldn’t be the case at home either. Many children are working longer hours as parents try to keep them entertained for a period which is longer than the school day itself.
Now might be the time for kids to be out in the garden as much as possible and having fun more recreationally. It might be worth teaching more practical skills, such as cooking, or encouraging them to help out with a few chores around the house to keep them busy. A daily mental maths quiz or vocabulary test might help to keep the routine of the day – but otherwise, now is when these kids would be expecting a break and they probably need one!
Key Stage 3 and 4
For older kids, and those of GCSE age, working now is more important. For those sitting exams, the Easter Holidays is when revision would be ramping up. Although teachers are now deciding GCSE grades, there is an option to sit exams in the Autumn, so revision of key topics should not stop. It is also important for children of this age to keep their minds active. In essence, even if they do not sit the Autumn exams, the step up to A-Level is notoriously difficult, and teenagers will not want to be underprepared for this when the new school year starts.
MyTutor – in a bid to support those working diligently on their studies at home – have launched a new, free Online School which is packed with help for students. The platform offers daily live group tutorials on key topics, and new resources are added every day. Pre-recorded videos focussing on popular topics are also uploaded to MyTutor’s YouTube channel regularly, across a wide range of subjects. They currently centred around the core subjects: Maths, the three Sciences and English.
James Grant – Co-founder of MyTutor – discusses the need for private firms such as MyTutor to help support the public sector during this time:
“Pupils working in isolation from home because of containment measures could face learning challenges at a critical period. Fortunately, online platforms can be accessed in a convenient and hygienic way across the UK. MyTutor is incredibly pleased to launch this new service for GCSE students, which we believe will be a vital resource for those looking to continue their studies from home.
MyTutor has advocated the use of EdTech in the classroom for a long time, and now we have the chance to assist schools, teachers and pupils as they work from home. We want to ensure we support all children with their continued learning during this tricky time and so are delighted to be able to provide this valuable and easily-accessible platform for free.”
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