Less than a quarter of UK parents feel comfortable teaching IT during homeschooling, survey finds

Nearly a third of UK parents are worried that their children will fall behind in certain subjects as no one in their household is confident enough to teach them during the pandemic, according to a new study by BT.

The report, based in a survey of 2,006 UK parents of children aged 5-11 years-old, found that although 66 per cent of parents said their children’s education takes priority over their job, they could only dedicate around three hours a day to home schooling.

Computer sciences, alongside areas such as coding, were the most likely to be dropped, with parents worried they do not understand them or were not taught them.

The survey found just 24 per cent feel comfortable teaching IT and computer science, while just eight per cent felt comfortable with coding. 

In comparison, 62 per cent of parents are comfortable teaching maths to 5-11 year-olds, while 58 per cent were confident in English and 43 per cent in PE. 

BT released the survey with its new Code a Cake initiative, providing additional online resources to introduce children aged 6-11 to coding.

Kerensa Jennings, Digital Impact Director, BT, said: “With the UK facing such extraordinary hardship, BT wants Code a Cake to play a small, yet important role in inspiring and supporting parents and children at this challenging time. Families need more help than ever as they try to keep their kids educated and entertained at home. 

“Our Skills for Tomorrow initiative is here to help people make the most of technology, and we want to do our bit to help children have fun and keep on learning.”