WHEN the Prime Minister announced every school across England would close until further notice, parents were left divided with some fearing their child would lose out on vital education.

Sixth Forms, Primary and Secondary schools across England have remained closed to everyone - expect pupils of key workers - since Friday, March 20.

The majority of pupils are now studying from home, reliant on their parents and carers to pick up on the curriculum as schools provide work remotely.

But only a third of parents (33 percent) say they feel confident in helping their child with schoolwork, a study into homeschooling during the coronavirus pandemic has found.

According to Oxford Home Schooling, just one in sixteen parents (6 percent) managed to answer three homework questions correctly, which were taken from the Key Stage Two syllabuses for English, Maths and Science.

Meanwhile, nearly a quarter (23 percent) of parents said they feel pressurised when their child asks them for help and a third (31 percent) said they felt embarrassed when they were unable to answer a question.

Over three-quarters (76 percent) admitted to using the internet to help with answers, while more than one in ten (11 percent) asked for support from virtual assistants, such as Alexa or Siri.

What the experts have to say

Dr Nick Smith, Principal at Oxford Home Schooling, said: “The results of the survey are quite surprising, but they will probably resonate with many parents across the country.

"For some, a large amount of time will have passed since they themselves were in the education system and so they will be unfamiliar with the current curriculum.

“Our research has found that over a third of primary school parents think their children are stressed because of work, so it is important that they strive to help out where they can, using assistants, like Google, if needed.”