Education support is something we would all love our kids to have. But life and work can get in the way. Schools play their part, and some more than others. However, there are some proactive things you can do. Schools are great, but they can’t do everything. From finding SEN support for your children to keeping an education track record, here are some suggestions.
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Extra Tuition and Classes
For most people, the first solution that comes to mind is extra tuition and classes. This is a great idea and works well for most kids. For example, there are services in the UK that offer an extra 11 plus tuition to support children falling a little behind or struggling with a subject. Extra tuition means more work for your kids but is structured in a way so it doesn’t become more of a challenge. However, there is much more to supporting the educational needs of children.
SEN Education Support
All kids are different and learn at different levels. Some understand one subject very well and may struggle with others. This is quite normal, and of course, you want your kids to do well at everything. But this is often not the case. Children with special education needs (SEN) require more support than others. In the UK alone, there are 1.5 million SEN children, which increases every year. Some schools offer SEN support for your kids if you open a discussion.
Recognise Signs of Anxiety
We like to think of anxiety as an adult condition as a result of our personal trauma. But anxiety affects people of all ages, including children. Children get anxious about going to school, just as we would get anxious about entering a toxic workplace. And this can lead to failing grades. Spotting anxiety is a key part of educational support for your kids. Some common signs include trying to stay in bed, poor sleep patterns, and not wanting to do their homework or go to school.
Ensure Your Child Attends School
Anxiety can get so bad that your child may lash out to get the day off, pretend to be sick or even skip school without you knowing. However, poor attendance is one of the biggest contributors to falling grades and kids being left behind. In the UK, school absences have risen steadily over the past few years, more since COVID. Schools aren’t to blame for this, as most are underfunded and unsupported. Making sure your kids attend gets them the support they need.
Be Proactive with the School
Schools play a key support role with the children they teach, and most do it very well. But there is still some part to be played by parents too. As a parent, you have the right to get the most out of a school, and most are more than willing to allow parents to be active in certain ways:
- Try to attend parent-teacher nights as often as you can.
- Always ask teachers about how your children are doing at school.
- Try to get involved with voluntary school activities such as fun days.
- Liaise with teachers for support if your child needs a tutor.
- Request homework tutoring packs to help your kids with extra work.
- Enquire about classroom support for kids with extra needs.
- Question anything you believe is out of place or failing your child.
Showing an active interest in your child’s education builds a relationship with the school. Schools love this, and many encourage it as they understand they are a huge part of your kids’ lives. You also have the right to raise any concerns you might have about your child’s education.
Encourage Children to Make Friends
Making friends can be extremely challenging for some children. This has always been the case. But today, it is made worse by issues such as social media, where things like bullying don’t end at the school gates. Friends can be a great support system for children at school, yet they can also be the cause of stress. And this means some kids find it hard to even maintain friendships. Ask your kids about what is happening with friends at school and try to encourage socialising.
Slowly Work to Improve Confidence
Just like adults at work, children with low confidence will find it challenging to grow as they should socially, mentally and emotionally. There are some ways you can help with this. Having children face challenges forces them to use skills they have but underuse. It also helps to give them small responsibilities around the home to build character. Having them do things themselves socially also helps, for example, ordering their own food when visiting a restaurant.
Keep an Education Support Record
It will be a challenge to measure the growth of your child without recording what is happening. This shouldn’t be used to look back over for punishment. Rather, it can help highlight areas that are improving and areas where your children fall behind. For example, homework is a major issue. Many kids don’t like doing it, and over 80% of parents struggle to assist with this. But getting ahead of needs like this can help reduce the incoming negative impact on school life.
Teach and Ensure Child Self-Care
As adults, we hear the term “Self-care” all the time. To us, this means eating as healthy as possible, socialising and looking after our physicality, appearance and hygiene. This is no different for children. For example, kids need a good night’s sleep and a healthy breakfast to set them up for the day. Letting them play video games all night when they have school the next morning won’t help with this. Limiting screen time and setting rules will be a massive help.
Summary
Booking extra classes and tuition will help with the education support for your children. Tutors and teachers are a huge help. But you must also be proactive to get the most out of a school. Teaching your kids proper self-care will also help set them up for a good day at school.
