Homework is an instrumental part of the national curriculum for both primary and secondary school children, but how do parents help their children when they come unstuck? And how do they ensure their child’s learning continues when they leave the classroom?

New research by home education provider Oxford Home Schooling reveals that 13% of primary school pupils spend five hours or more on homework a week, compared to 39% of those in secondary school and more than half (55%) of sixth form or college students.

With homework playing such a huge role in a child’s education, Dr Nick Smith, principal at Oxford Home Schooling, shares his top tips on how parents can help children with their homework.

Keep up to date with homework policies

Read the news and keep up to date with school policies and standards. It’s important to know what is expected of children when it comes to homework, so you’re able to help in a productive way. Swot up so you’re not left flustered if your child asks a tricky question.

Create a homework-friendly area

Create a calm and relaxing area that will stimulate a child and heighten their willingness to learn. This might be a private study room in the home, a corner of the bedroom or simply a seat at the kitchen table. Whatever the location, ensure your child feels comfortable working in this area.

Shower children with praise and support

It doesn’t matter whether your child is struggling with a certain subject or exceeding expectations, praising their efforts continuously is really important. These positive words will help to shape their learning and progress.

Set a good example

Read a book in front of your child, as well as carrying out general life admin tasks such as studying bills, and keeping things in order. Children are more likely to follow your lead and advice if they see you setting a good example.

Floral delights return as the Blenheim Palace Flower Show announces dates for 2018. From Friday 22 June – Sunday 24 June, 2018 the unmissable gardening show returns to the Oxfordshire World Heritage Site.

Now in its 5th year the horticultural show houses over 300 exhibitions located around a Grand Floral Pavilion, which is situated on the South Lawn of the picturesque Palace, the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill.

Visitors can expect to enjoy Garden Talks with experts and enthusiasts, fabulous food and drink as well as an outdoor Plant Village and live entertainment throughout the weekend.

Show Director Matthew Upson, Managing Director of Aztec Events, said: “Blenheim Palace Flower Show has really established itself as one of the great summer occasions and there couldn’t be a finer setting for a flower show than the beautiful landscape of Blenheim Palace.”

He continues: “Last year’s event was opened by gardening legend Alan Titchmarsh and previous guests have included Sir Ian McKellen and Mary Berry. The show attracts tens of thousands of visitors of all ages and appealing to both experienced and novice gardeners.”

At the heart of the show will be the 20,000 square foot Grand Floral Pavilion featuring more than 30 floral displays and a large selection of flowers and plants from the UK’s finest plantsmen. Admission to the show includes entry to the Palace, Park and Gardens so visitors can also make a day of it exploring the 10 Formal Gardens and 2,000 acres of ‘Capability’ Brown Parkland.

Dallaglio RugbyWorks, the charity founded by former England rugby captain Lawrence Dallaglio, celebrated its 8Rocks fundraising gala dinner on Friday 03^rd November. The annual event, now in its ninth year, saw the charity raise £606,000 towards its RugbyWorks initiative, which delivers a long-term intensive skills development programme, based on the values of rugby, to 14-17 year olds outside of mainstream education.

The charity was founded by Dallaglio in 2009. Through various annual events, including 8Rocks and the Dallaglio Cycling Slam, the charity has raised close to £10 million in the last nine years. Now working in Pupil Referral Units across the UK in London, Newcastle, the East Midlands, North West, Bristol and South Wales, RugbyWorks provides teenagers with the support, experience and opportunity to help them into sustained education, employment or training.

The dinner was held at Battersea Evolution and attended by celebrity guests including Dallaglio and his family, Andrew Ridgeley and the cast of Jersey Boys who performed for the guests on the night.

Rachel Roxburgh, CEO, said “We are truly delighted with the generosity shown by our supporters and it was encouraging to see the continued dedication after nine years. I would like to thank everybody who attended 8Rocks. We are proud to have raised such a significant amount towards the programme and we look forward to building on this success in the coming months.”

Lawrence Dallaglio said “Once again, I have been blown away by the fantastic support shown by so many. It’s an amazing achievement to raise such a significant amount of money towards our RugbyWorks programme. It just goes to show how many people are as passionate about what we do as I am.”

With autumn in full flow, City of Wolverhampton Council is in the midst of removing billions of leaves from pavements, streets, parks and open spaces.

Every year the council collects vast amounts of fallen leaves from public land from the thousands of trees which line the city’s highways and green spaces.

Last year the council collected a whopping 420 tonnes – the same weight as 33 double decker buses or 60 African elephants.

While autumn leaves provide an attractive display, if left on the ground they can become a slippery safety hazard when wet and can block drain covers causing flooding.

Keeping on top of the huge accumulations of leaf fall is the job of the council’s City Environment team.

The council keeps records of known hotspot areas which contain the most trees and generate the most customer calls.

The teams work hard to systematically remove leaves and respond to reports of wet leaves causing potential slip hazards.

The City Environment team use a variety of methods to remove the leaves in the most efficient way possible – including the use of machines which suck up the leaves like a very powerful vacuum cleaner.

All leaves collected in the city are sent to a composting plant.

Cllr Steve Evans, City of Wolverhampton Council’s cabinet member for city environment, said: “Autumn leaves undoubtedly look beautiful, but when they fall they make this season a hugely busy time for the council’s street cleansing teams.

“The teams clear literally billions of leaves from public land to keep the city looking tidy and preventing slip hazards.

“This is a huge undertaking which our teams carry out systematically and efficiently and we try and get around everywhere as quickly as we can.

“I would urge the public to please ensure you dispose of leaves from your private property by either composting them or taking them to one of the city’s two household waste and recycling sites. Please don’t sweep them onto the street or pavement as this can cause slip hazards and contribute to blocked drains and flooding.”

A shopping trip with a historic twist and a world premiere of a children's classic are among the compelling reasons to head to Chester and Cheshire at Christmas.

The city's medieval Rows – the world's first shopping arcade – will be the focus of The Rows Revealed, a fascinating 90-minute tour now available to the public. The Guild of Chester Tour Guides will unearth archaeological gems within the double-decker shopping galleries, some only accessible with their help, such as the remains of pillars that were once part of the Roman fortress Deva Victrix, now hidden beneath Pret a Manger. Other sites likely to be on the itinerary include the remains of a Roman hypocaust beneath Spudulike, medieval cellars in Corks Out, and Tudor plasterwork and a priest hole in Sofa Warehouse.

Enid Blyton's 'The Secret Seven' will be live on stage for the very first time this Christmas at Storyhouse, Chester's new integrated arts centre. In this new production of the classic children's tale, the intrepid gang are on the trail of strange clues that will lead them straight to the heart of a mystery they must solve by Christmas.

The awards keep flooding in for Salcombe Distilling Co.  On Thursday evening, surrounded by the pinnacle of the county's food and drink producers, this relative newcomer was awarded 'Best Drinks Product' for its Salcombe Gin 'Start Point' at the Devon Life Food & Drink Awards.

Voted by the public, this tremendous accolade was presented at the prestigious ceremony held at Exeter's Sandy Park to Co-Founder Angus Lugsdin and wife and Marketing Manager Andrea. Commenting on the win, Angus says: “Less than a month ago we were celebrating being named the county's 'Best Producer' at the Food & Drink Devon Awards.  To now have won this hugely competitive accolade, again receiving such high recognition in our home county, is a real honour.”

Fellow Co-Founder and Director, Howard Davies continues: “We'd like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have been so supportive during our first year.  A big thank you too to everyone who has visited our gin school and distillery bar in Salcombe and has sought us out at the various festivals and events we have attended throughout the year. We are incredibly grateful to them and to our ever expanding and hardworking team.”

In addition to these impressive local awards Salcombe Distilling Co. was recently awarded 'Three Stars' at the prestigious Great Taste Awards 2017 for Salcombe Gin 'Start Point'. This innovative drinks' company also achieved international success with Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and Gold at the World Drinks Awards.

Refreshing, delicious and super-smooth Salcombe Gin is hand distilled in South Devon using only the finest hand sourced ingredients. The zesty blend of grapefruits, lemons and limes is a nod to the famous Salcombe Fruiters, who imported over 80% of the citrus fruits to England during the 19th century. Harbouring distinct notes of ruby red grapefruit, along with the heady, earthy pine notes of the finest Macedonia juniper, Salcombe Gin is the perfect balance of aromas and flavours with an amazing lingering finish.

Salcombe Gin 'Start Point' 44% 70cl bottle (£37.50) is available to buy nationwide from independent retailers, farm shops, delicatessens, directly at the distillery in Salcombe and online from the Salcombe Gin website www.salcombegin.com.