THE MAJORITY OF primary school children are assisted on a daily basis by their parents with homework, new figures by the Central Statistics Office show.

The CSO survey Parental Involvement in Children’s Education reveals that more than two thirds (69 per cent) of children at primary level are assisted daily by a parent. However, 4 per cent of primary school children and 28 per cent of secondary school children never receive any assistance at all with their homework.

Parents in Ireland generally feel capable of assisting their children with homework, with 59 per cent saying they would be ‘very confident’ about doing so. This confidence appears to be linked to the ‘ educational level of the parents themselves; in families where the mother has a third level degree or above, 72 per cent of parents feel very confident about assisting secondary school children with homework.

However, language can create a barrier for some parents trying to help their children with their studies. Some 61 per cent of parents whose first language was English or Irish felt ‘very confident’ about assisting with their children’s homework, but just 47 per cent of parents whose first language was not English or Irish felt very confident about assisting their children with their studies.

The vast majority (93 per cent) of pre-school and schoolchildren (aged 3–7) are read to by their parents, and 71 per cent of those are being read to on a daily basis.

Internet access

The study also found a high level of internet use for educational purposes in children completing schoolwork at home.

Some 71 per cent of schoolchildren with a parent in employment use the internet outside school to access school learning material. Meanwhile, 59 per cent of school children with parents who are both unemployed or not in the labour force, and 55 per cent of school children with parents who are both not in the labour force, access the internet for the same purpose.

87 per cent of parents said they aspire to having their children remain in the education system to attend college or university – but just 82 per cent of parents believe their children will actually do so.

Read: Concerns raised over staffing at new Child and Family Agency
Read: New third level report shows students at ITs more likely to drop out