Parents’ help with schoolwork does little for children’s progress – study

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The amount of time parents spend helping their children with homework contributes much less to their progress in school than the family’s social class, a study has suggested. The time parents spent helping primary-aged children with their maths work and reading to them had only a small positive effect on their school progress as rated by teachers, the research found. When considering creative subjects, 28 per cent of the children from the highest class were perceived as being “above average” by teachers, compared with 14 per cent of those whose parents were manual workers. “On the other hand, lower-class parents may be more inclined to focus on and take remedial measures only when their children encounter learning difficulties.” Ms Ding found that teachers’ assessment of pupil performance accurately matched the maths scores students achieved in tests at age seven and 11.