Homeschooling during lockdown: 'Limit academic work to no more than 2 hours'
Learning continues at SPARK Schools across South Africa, despite the lockdown.

The innovative company created a “Home Learning Portal”, targeted at parents, to ensure learning continues at home.
There is a guideline on the portal showing the type of schedule that we can follow at home that includes Sparks Fly, their daily subjects, quiet time and chore time. It makes my life so much easier when there is a structure that my child is familiar with… We played hopscotch for PE… We don’t stick to the exact times, but we know what needs to happen in a day so even if we learn at night, we do what we can. I am an essential worker and so is my husband, so we take turns staying home and homeschooling.
Lauren Gamba, parent – SPARK Schools
(Also, read: “SPARK Schools provides Singapore-quality education for R19 400 per year”)
The Money Show’s Bruce Whitfield asked Bailey Thomson Blake (Chief of Schools at SPARK Schools) how home-schooling works during the lockdown.
We’re embracing the opportunity to think differently. We must reach children regardless of socioeconomic status… We are committed to ensuring that learning continues… We’ve had to be very creative… SPARK’s greatest expertise is in personalising…
Bailey Thomson Blake, Chief of Schools - SPARK Schools
We’ve seen the most extraordinary stories from our families… Parents should do what’s possible in their homes… We’re there to support that…
Bailey Thomson Blake, Chief of Schools - SPARK Schools
… No more than two hours of academic work [foundation phase] … Limiting academic time to what is realistic.
Bailey Thomson Blake, Chief of Schools - SPARK Schools
Parents need to feel that schools care about them… and understand the circumstances they are in… We’ve invited parents to contact us to make payment arrangements… Some families can access e-learning at higher rates than others…
Bailey Thomson Blake, Chief of Schools - SPARK Schools
There’s precedent for this from the Ebola crisis… After schools reopened… they extended the schoolyear into the next calendar year… We haven’t received guidance for the Department of Education…
Bailey Thomson Blake, Chief of Schools - SPARK Schools
For more detail, listen to the interview in the audio below.
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