Since the closure of schools across the UK were announced in March, parents have been forced to brush up on their school smarts and become more familiar with homeschooling.
And a survey of over 1,000 UK parents, combined with analysis of Google search trends, has revealed how this lockdown homeschooling experience has been going.
The survey, commissioned by Clarks, revealed that nearly one in five parents in Belfast said they'll appreciate teachers more since their experience of homeschooling, whereas 29% said they've realised not everything is about the national curriculum and children need to be happy to learn.
Local parents also report maths to be the most enjoyable subject, despite it also being the most challenging to teach.
And around 18% of Belfast survey participants report experiencing some level of difficulty with finding the information they need to teach their kids at home.
Almost half of Belfast parents (47%) admitted to turning to Google for homeschooling help, 35% contact their children's teachers directly, and 28% report using BBC Bitesize and similar online educational resources.
Virtual lessons held by celebrities have also been popular – whether it’s P.E. with Joe Wicks or David Attenborough’s geography classes, and around 18% say they've used these virtual lessons during the homeschooling period.
Here's the top 20 most Googled homeschooling questions in Belfast:
Rosie McKissock, Kids Business Manager at Clarks, said: "We wanted to understand what this experience has been like so far for parents. Overall, it’s been quite an eye-opener, with three in 10 parents surveyed saying their biggest takeaway from their homeschooling experience is they’ll respect and appreciate teachers a lot more, and 23% commenting on how easy it is for adults to forget what they learnt in school.
"As a parent myself, I totally recognise what this survey describes. It’s been a humbling experience taking on home school for two young children, realising the patience involved in teaching kids as well as the revelation of just how much you have forgotten (or perhaps never knew in the first place!)."
