Education trust with schools in Northampton involved in setting up free national homeschooling helpline

An educational trust that has schools across Northampton is part of the team of organisations setting up a free national phone line to help parents who are homeschooling their children.

Teachers from the David Ross Education Trust, which is the parent company for schools such as Malcolm Arnold and Briar Hill, have teamed up with other educational bodies to offer personalised advice and support to parents.

The helpline, called StarLine, is completely free and available to all parents across the country.

Rowena Hackwood, CEO of DRET, said: “We are delighted to be part of this incredible initiative. Families across the country are doing a fantastic job homeschooling their children, but everyone needs a little help from time to time, and StarLine is here for them.

“It is truly inspirational to see how much educational expertise has gone into this project and to see so many different organisations working together to help children learn.

“We are proud to play our part and do what we can to support families across the country.”

Parents and carers can phone the helpline for support on a specific topic, or for general advice on how to structure the day, deal with difficult behaviour or manage the learning of several children.

Families will be guided to help their children create regular routines and study habits, offered practical steps to improve learning and given access to resources.

David Ross Education Trust staff will be working with a number of other organisations to establish StarLine, including Mumsnet and Oak National Academy.

Mufti Hamid Patel CBE, chief executive of Star Academies, the founding organisation behind StarLine, added: “We understand that this is a time of additional pressure for many parents and carers.

“The combination of working from home, caring for our loved ones and trying to educate our children is a difficult juggling act.

“Together with our partners, we want to use our educational expertise to support parents and carers who are grappling with the challenge of trying to maintain their children’s learning.

“We’re proud to support this sector‐led initiative to give parents a friendly and caring specialist to turn to when they need it most.”

Callers can also speak to experienced education and parenting experts who can provide support and advice on behaviour, wellbeing and help for pupils with special educational needs or disabilities.

The helpline number is: 0330 3139162.

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