Kirsty Welcomes Comforting Views From Home
Kirsty Williams today welcomed new figures which show more than three quarters of parents in Wales are confidently helping their children with reading and writing at home each week.
The home is the single biggest factor in educational attainment and by creating an environment that values education and supports a child’s learning, parents are giving their child a significant head start in life.
As part of the National Survey 2014-15, a set of questions on parental support with literacy and numeracy were included to provide further evidence to support work to ensure all children have the opportunity to fulfil their potential, and emphasising the importance of good literacy and numeracy skills.
Parents were asked how frequently they helped their child with reading, writing and numbers and how confident they were in their own ability to help.
The key findings include:
- 81% of parents with a child aged 3 to 7 supported their child at least several times a week with reading and writing
- 69% of parents supported their child aged 3 to 7 at least several times a week with maths or numbers
- 76% were very confident helping their child aged 3 to 11 with writing in English; 79% were very confident helping their child with reading in English
- 60% were very confident helping their child aged 3 to 11 with maths or numbers
- 56% of Welsh speakers were very confident in their own Welsh reading ability, and 50% very confident in their own Welsh writing ability to be able to help their child aged 3 to 11 with their Welsh reading and writing.
Cabinet Secretary for Education Kirsty Williams said:
“Being able to help children to develop those all-important life skills at home – being curious, confident and ready to learn – will help make it a positive and exciting experience from their very first day.
“This survey provides some very welcome evidence to suggest that parents are already actively and confidently engaging in their children’s education. However, there is still more work to do to help schools, parents, and the wider community, understand how to work together effectively to give our children the support they need.
“The National Survey gives us a reliable way of hearing from parents about the quality of the education their children receive; a crucial part in developing a self-improving education system.
“The results also provide us with a robust evidence base for understanding the needs of both parents and pupils as we further develop policy in this area and continue to promote our Education Begins at Home campaign, knowing as we do the central importance of parents and the home learning environment.”
Education begins at home is our online campaign aimed at encouraging getting parents and carers to take an interest in their child’s learning and making them aware that the little things they do with their child at home, helps them in school.
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