I have just completed one week of online learning and we have survived…just about!

For the record, I am a Support for Learning Teacher, who works 4 days a week, and a single adoptive parent to an 11 year old child who ‘does not find school work easy’  - clearly, this is code for ‘cannot do any online learning without support and encouragement from an adult’.

I really do believe we have to keep our expectations of ourselves, children and others in perspective. We are all under a lot of stress and must be realistic about what we can do. For me, I cannot work and support my daughter through all the online tasks set by school at the same time.

I am surviving by picking out a few core tasks to focus on. For me, this means reading with her for 15 minutes a day, standing over her while she logs on to Nessy Reading and Phonics, and supporting her with the main maths task. I am prioritising basic literacy and numeracy skills. If we manage anything else, it’s a bonus.

I know everyone’s circumstances are different and children’s needs are different. There is a lot of information around to support you with online learning and it can be quite overwhelming when you are operating out of your comfort zone. I thought it might be useful to pull together some key websites in one place:

Websites to Support Learning at Home During Lockdown
Website	What website offers
www.topmarks.co.uk	Game-based learning for maths and literacy (all ages)
Free primary and secondary school teaching resources - BBC Teach	Support for teaching all subjects and ages
Watch - Cosmic Kids	Yoga (ages 3-12)
Home | Pawprint Family	Topic based learning (all ages)
Lesson Ideas - Outdoor Classroom Day	Outdoor ideas for young children
Duolingo - The world's best way to learn Spanish	Learning Languages (all ages)
Primary Resources - KS2, KS1, Early Years (EYFS) KS3, KS4, Twinkl	Lesson presentations and worksheets (all ages and subjects)
Support from Technology
Expertise in Communication and Assistive Technology - CALL Scotland, Edinburgh	Call Scotland ICT Support for Learners with additional needs
Office 365 and Immersive Reader - Bing video	Shirley Lawson, Call Scotland, explains how ICT features can support learners

Learning happens all the time. Let’s remember that! But if you need some structure and some ideas for your child, the websites above are great resources.

Bear in mind that ages are a guide only. Often in a class there is a wide spread of abilities, and there can be as much as 2 years age difference. If your child finds school difficult, start a few years below their chronological age and work up from there as their confidence grows. Do not compare with others as progress is individual and make sure you celebrate successes. If you are in Scotland P7 equates with Year 6, P6 with Year 5 and so on.

The accessibility features offered by technology can be a super help too. It is worth taking time to explore these features if your child has any additional needs. The video by Shirley Lawson from Call Scotland gives a good overview of supports for children in Scotland who will have access to GLOW.

For those parents who have children in secondary education, worried about exams and what this means for future careers, it is important to remember that there are multiple pathways to access a chosen career. The route may be longer and more varied, but you can still reach your destination, provided the motivation is strong enough. Remember too, that changes to exams and course requirements will affect everyone.

If you haven’t done so already, it may be worth applying for a grant to support your child’s education. The FASD Hub Scotland have a good factsheet identifying some of the funding bodies on offer.