Parents across the borough will share a desire to make sure new precautionary measures during the coronavirus crisis don’t signal the end of their children’s learning. One Hackney charity is working to ensure that disadvantaged pupils aren’t left behind during nation-wide school closures.
The Literacy Pirates, based in Dalston, work with pupils aged 9-12 whose teachers feel they need extra support in their studies. They suspended their programmes on 17 March after the announcement of increased social distancing to combat the coronavirus. But the suspension of their face to face work isn’t the end of their mission to help kids in need.
The organisation was founded in 2010 by Catriona Maclay, a teacher in North London, after she realised that many of her students needed more help than she and her colleagues could provide during school hours. As part of the programme, children participate in weekly one-to-one sessions to improve their reading and writing skills as well as their confidence to ensure they can perform better in school in the future. Even in such uncertain times, the team is still working hard to make sure that disadvantaged students don’t find themselves held back when precautionary measures end.
Chief Executive Jude Williams says that this is a crucial time for the pupils her organisation works with: “Reading and writing progress will slip, and they will fall even further behind.” Her team is now working from home to create a programme which will continue the support they give children and to ensure that they have the tools to succeed in the future.
The Prime Minister announced yesterday that all schools in England will close from Friday 20 March for an indefinite period of time. This is part of precautionary measures being taken to slow the spread of COVID-19. Summer GCSE and A-level exams were also cancelled, and further guidance on how students will gain qualifications is expected soon. Vulnerable children and children of key workers, such as NHS staff, delivery drivers and carers, will still be able to attend.
“Parents have to be positive and find some opportunities for learning,” Williams says, given the indefinite school closures.
Here are her tips to keep your kids engaged with learning during school closures:
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Read every day
Just 10 minutes a day will help children make progress with their reading while schools are shut. For younger kids, having parents and older siblings read to them will ensure that they continue to learn. If you’re worried you won’t have enough books to last for the duration of the indefinite closures, Jude suggests reading newspapers or things online – it really doesn’t matter, as long as they’re reading. -
Find opportunities to write
Williams and her team are also creating a diary for the kids engaged with Literacy Pirates to fill out. She suggests getting kids to write an entry each day which they can look back on in a couple of months. Other creative parents are getting their kids to write film reviews. At such an unprecedented time for both news and binge-watching, they’re sure to have lots of material. -
Stick to a schedule
“Routine and structure are really important for kids,” Williams says, “and they are already used to a timetable at school.” She suggests doing work in the same class schedule your children already have. When making a schedule, be sure not to block out more than an hour – Williams says that 40 minutes of learning and 20 minutes of discussion is more than enough. Anything more and your kids will switch off. -
Use online resources
While most adults who can are learning the joys of video conferencing, kids and teenagers can take advantage of online working too. “Lots of stuff that used to be behind a paywall is now free,” she says. Sites such as Maths with Parents have recently opened up their resources for free. For older kids, Williams suggests Future Learn, which has university-style courses on a range of different topics. -
Make the curriculum suit your kids
School isn’t just about the classes. Adding in some fun ‘clubs’ like debate or dance will add some variety to the day when kids are boxed up indoors. Williams is already planning on doing some psychology with her 13 year old, and suggests that if your children have a subject they’re interested in that you help them explore it more.
