Growing Day to Day Carers Should
- encourage regular school attendance
- provide a quiet place for the child to do homework, and essential materials (e.g. pens, paper, ruler, books, calculator)
- check homework is done
- encourage after-school activities
- attend school events including parents’ evenings (unless there is an agreement between social services and the designated teacher that the child’s parent attends)
- attend local authority events to celebrate children’s achievement
Being in school full-time gives children the best possible chance to succeed. As well as learning subjects in class, they develop routines and understand about timekeeping. Missing school makes it harder for them to catch up what they miss. Carers can help children to build the habit of attending regularly by:
- making sure they get up in time to have breakfast and go to school
- taking an interest in the child’s school work and activities
- checking homework diaries
- attending parents’ evenings and reading reports
- keeping in contact with school
- not taking holidays during the school term
- looking out for signs of children missing school, and taking prompt action to get them back in if they are
Supporting young people to attend and do well at school is one of the primary tasks of carers. This means encouraging the child by showing an interest in work they bring home; reading with younger children and, for young people, understanding the demands of course work, exams and tests, and offering the right kind of support and encouragement.
