Home learning during lockdown?

We all have lots of distractions at home, like gaming and mobile phones, but what we don’t have to keep us motivated and help us to enjoy our school day, are our friends and teachers.

You may be finding it tricky to concentrate on your schoolwork for long periods of time at home. That’s why we’ve pulled together some handy resources to make your home-learning more fun, and to help you stay motivated during lockdown.

1. BBC Bitesize: Learning at Home

School shut? We’ve got you! Try our lessons full of videos, quizzes and practice activities to help you with home learning. BBC Bitesize makes home-learning FUN! Whether you’re in secondary school, or in post-16 education, BBC Bitesize has countless learning resources to support you. Click here for all the details.

2. Oak National Academy

Are you in KS3 or KS4? If so, Oak National Academy is for you! The great thing about Oak National Academy is that they’ve put together their own recommended daily and weekly timetables for all year groups, for loads of different subjects! This means they’ve done all the organising for you. All you need to do is follow this link to access nearly 10,000 free video lessons, resources and activities.

3. Skills Launchpad Plymouth

If you’re aged between 16-24 and either in your last year at school, college or university, then Skills Launchpad Plymouth can help you make the next best move for you. Whether you’re looking into post-16 education options, or you want to go straight into employment or an apprenticeship, then Skills Launchpad Plymouth is here to support you make those decisions.

So, how much schoolwork should you be doing each day during lockdown?

If you’re unsure about how much time you should be spending on your schoolwork during lockdown, don’t stress. Here’s the National Guidance for all Schools in England:

• Key Stage 3 (Year 7-9) – Five hours per day
• Key Stage 4 (Year 10-11) – Five hours per day

Top 5 Tips for managing your home learning

Five hours of schoolwork per day may seem like a lot. But let’s think about it. Five hours of schoolwork each day is the equivalent of one whole day at school, or five lessons. Here’s our top tips to help you get through your home learning each day:

1. Take regular breaks from your work (getting up to stretch your legs every 30-45 minutes is great)
2. Stay hydrated – if you don’t stay hydrated, you’re more likely to experience headaches and feel tired, which may make it harder to concentrate on your school work
3. Practice mindfulness throughout your day – follow this link to find a list of 10 mindful activities you could try 10 Mindfulness Activities for Teens | MentalUP
4. Create a timetable – you can either create your own weekly or daily timetable to suit your own learning style, or you can find recommended timetables at Oak National Academy
5. Reduce distractions – it might be hard to say goodbye to your distractions, but by either putting them away, or turning them off, you can focus your attention solely on your school work without being distracted by text messages or other notifications