Over the last year there has been a much bigger responsibility for families to support their children with their studies as homeschooling has become the new norm for students all over the country. It can be confusing knowing where to look for good resources. In this article I highlight a few useful resources that can be used by most children of primary and secondary age.
1. Youtube
Youtube has the largest collection of free video content in the world. There are some fantastic videos and channels that cover almost any topic and area. Although it may not always be able to cater directly to your child’s learning needs it can be a very good starting point and present ideas and topics in a helpful visual way.
2. TES Website
The times education supplement website in my opinion is the most powerful resource for mums that are currently homeschooling. It’s a hub for resources made by teachers and other education professionals for teachers and parents. Teachers use these resources for their pupils. The numerous filters make it easy to find resources that are specific for your child and the rating system allows you see what other teachers and parents have found useful. There are thousands and thousands of resources for all ages and abilities with many of them being absolutely free. You do have to set up a free account but in my opinion it is well worth it. You will definitely find something that you can use!
3. BBC Bitesize
BBC Bitesize has been around for many many years and they have a bank of free resources that mums can use for homeschooling. Many of the exercises are interactive so they’re brilliant especially for younger children.
During the pandemic they have expanded their library and now offer daily sessions to support the learning for children learning the national curriculum.
4. Bond Books
Bond Books are great for families preparing for entrance exams for selective secondary schools or taking the 11-plus, they have very well established resources and practice tests for virtually all the different types of entrance examinations.
5. Sats Papers
Year 6 Sats are used as a benchmark for many schools to assess how children are doing in relation to the national curriculum in English and Maths. They’re used to compare students to their peers and if they have received a certain level of proficiency in English and Maths by the time they leave primary school. It is also used to predict how they may perform in their Gcses by some schools.
There is a bank of 20 years worth of papers available online for free, which are great for preparing for the sats and can also be used to test concepts covered in the 11-plus.
There are also Year 9 sats papers available for free, these exams have been discontinued and are no longer used by schools but can still be useful for learning by older students preparing for Gcse.
6. Textbooks
A good textbook is a brilliant resource especially for older children taking public examinations such as Gcses or A Levels. The exam board that your child is on will normally have it’s own textbook or will endorse a particular textbook. For younger children there are also some very good titles and sometimes textbooks designed for older children can have useful exercises for younger ones. For example Maths GCSE foundation has some questions and exercises that can be very useful to students preparing for Sats or 11-plus.
7. School Website
If you’re stuck for resources that you can use you can also have a look on your child’s school website, or if there is a particular secondary school you are interested in applying, they will often have links to practice papers or other websites that will help with preparation.
This list is in no way exhaustive, but is a good starting point if you are looking for good resources to support your children’s learning. If you do need any extra support and teaching you can of course contact us and we’ll be happy to take care of all of the learning needs.
Samuel Adu-Gyamfi is the CEO and founder of Sam Tutoring, a tutoring service and consultancy in London he founded a decade ago.
Sam Tutoring provides private one to one tuition along with group and online tuition for families in Central London and internationally, as well as tailor made services for schools.
Working with students from the ages of 7-18 we provide academic support and mentorship.
Email info@samtutoring.london, to book a consultation or visit www.samtutoring.london to see how we can help your child succeed. Read more tips by Sam tutoring here.
