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Important update from TheSchoolRun

For the past 13 years, TheSchoolRun has been run by a small team of mums working from home, dedicated to providing quality educational resources to primary school parents. Unfortunately, rising supplier costs and falling revenue have made it impossible for us to continue operating, and we’ve had to make the difficult decision to close. The good news: We’ve arranged for another educational provider to take over many of our resources. These will be hosted on a new portal, where the content will be updated and expanded to support your child’s learning.

What this means for subscribers:

  • Your subscription is still active, and for now, you can keep using the website as normal — just log in with your usual details to access all our articles and resources*.
  • In a few months, all resources will move to the new portal. You’ll continue to have access there until your subscription ends. We’ll send you full details nearer the time.
  • As a thank you for your support, we’ll also be sending you 16 primary school eBooks (worth £108.84) to download and keep.

A few changes to be aware of:

  • The Learning Journey weekly email has ended, but your child’s plan will still be updated on your dashboard each Monday. Just log in to see the recommended worksheets.
  • The 11+ weekly emails have now ended. We sent you all the remaining emails in the series at the end of March — please check your inbox (and spam folder) if you haven’t seen them. You can also follow the full programme here: 11+ Learning Journey.

If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected]. Thank you for being part of our journey it’s been a privilege to support your family’s learning.

*If you need to reset your password, it will still work as usual. Please check your spam folder if the reset email doesn’t appear in your inbox.

Why a homework club could work for your child

Girl in library
Is getting homework done a constant struggle? An after-school homework club could be the solution, says Moira Holden

What is a homework club?

Homework clubs offer a place for your child to work in a supportive environment out of school hours.

Why choose a homework club?

Some children are so self-motivated that they’re able to work diligently on homework and ignore the distractions of normal family life, but not everyone finds it so easy.

Doing homework requires a quiet space to work at home and support from you. If your job or other children make it tricky to provide those things you might want to consider the option of a homework club.

 

Who runs homework clubs?

Schools and many public libraries offer them, usually after school finishes for the day. Check what’s available with your school and local authority.
The biggest advantage of a school-based homework club is that it’s on the same premises, so children don’t have to travel to the club.  Familiarity with teachers is also a plus point, and your child is in an environment where they are already relaxed.

If your child would prefer a change of location at the end of the school day a library homework club might be the answer. They usually run from 4pm to 6.30pm and sometimes for a few hours on a Saturday morning. “We find that children start getting more homework from the age of nine onwards so our clubs are of most benefit for eight to 14-year-olds,” says Lucy Love, manager for children and young people at libraries run by Enfield Council. “Under-eights can come to the club but a parent or carer must be with them.”

What benefits do clubs offer?

“The great thing about library homework clubs are the homework centre assistants – while they don’t do the child’s work, they have the knowledge and experience to guide them to the relevant books or online resources such as encyclopaedias,” explains Lucy. “We encourage children to use online data, as it’s usually the most up-to-date, and can offer equipment such as protractors and SATs papers. Homework clubs are also a great way of helping the child’s transition to secondary school.”

What to do after homework club

  • When you get home, ask your child to explain what their homework is – this will show you they have understood it properly themselves.
     
  • Help your child to settle down and concentrate by making sure there are no distractions around them when they go over their homework with you.
     
  • Encourage your child to check their work to reinforce the learning they have done.