Useful Links for learning at home, and homeschooling, for children and for adults
See also our list of Exam and Study Support Materials available for loan.
For Parents
StarLine – a service that aims to offer confidential advice to families from qualified teachers and parenting experts, including advice on behaviour and timetabling as well as help for those looking after children with special educational needs or disabilities. Calls to the helpline use a local rate number, 0330 3139162, from anywhere in the UK. See The Guardian newspaper article here.
Touch-type Read and Spell – National Literacy Trust parter TTRS are offering a multisensory, research-based program that can be used by children aged 7+, including those with learning difficulties. Students can learn to type, strengthen spelling and reading skills, and practise writing. Free online literacy resources for families of NHS workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as discounts for schools and families.
The Bookseller – a list from The Bookseller of publishers offering homeschooling resources.
For Children
General
BBC Teach thousands of free curriculum mapped videos, arranged by age group and subject
BookTrust Hometime Enjoy storytime with free online books and videos, play games, win prizes, test your knowledge in book-themed quizzes, or even learn how to draw some of your favourite characters.
CBeebies Games for kids and early years activities
Classroom Secrets Free resources for school closures.
Collins at Home – Free resources from Collins publishers to support ‘at home’ learning for 3-16yrs
CLPE Free resources from the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education
Coronavirus: a book for children Free downloadable children’s book illustrated by The Gruffalo illustrator Axel Schaffer. Published by Nosy Crow.
Easy Indoor Activities for Kids 50 ideas for activities at home.
Family Zone Useful resources from the National Literacy Trust
Minecraft Free educational content on Minecraft Marketplace.
National Geographic Kids Discover, learn and play
NewsWise (National Literacy Trust). Helping Key Stage 2 children to navigate the news.
Oxford Owl Resources to help primary school children learn from home.
Premier League Primary Stars Free home learning resources for school closures.
Scholastic Kids Club games, activities, competitions and giveaways
Scholastic Learn at Home Projects to keep kids reading, thinking and growing.
Scholastic Printables Free printable worksheets to help with learning at home
Shakespeare Week Kids’ Zone – activities for children.
Teacher’s Pet Free home learning resources available to download.
Teaching Ideas Thousands of free classroom activity ideas and downloadable resources.
Teachit Primary Home learning resources for EYFS, KS1 & KS2.
Teachwire Resources for children in Key Stages 1, 2, 3 and 4
Wagoll sharing of free resources for teachers – example texts for English and other resources.
Arts
(see our Crafts & Activities page)
English, Languages, Literacy
CBeebies Numeracy for nursery and reception. A range of maths activities, songs and quizzes for young learners.
Memrise Free online learning packages
Vocabulary Ninja vocabulary and reading resources.
Anthony Horowitz is sharing his writing process with fans for the first time. He will share the opening chapters to a new novel in his Diamond Brothers series online for free, as he writes them, inviting readers to give feedback on the story.
The Book of Hopes: Words and Pictures to Comfort, Inspire and Entertain Children in Lockdown, Lauched by the National Literacy Trust and compiled by Katherine Rundell, a free downloadable eBook containing contributions from over 100 children’s authors and illustrators, including many from Walker Books.
Storynory for ages EYFS, KS1 and KS2. A range fo stories from popular fairytales to classics.
Geography, Science, Maths and Technology
British Science Association Activity Packs
British Science Week free activity packs. Theme: ‘Our Diverse Planet’.
I See Maths For KS1 and KS2. Daily maths videos during school closure.
J2Code for KS1 and KS2. J2Code is a coding platform. Lesson plans to support parents available.
James Dyson Foundation 44 engineering and science projects for kids aged 7+
National Geographic Kids Discover, learn & play.
Raspberry Pi Home projects with a different theme each week.
The Royal Insitution Get the whole family involved with science, mathematics and engineering. Videos and activities.
Scratch Aimed at KS2. Program your own interactive stories, games and animations. Learn basic coding.
Sumdog Maths, spelling and grammar practice games
TopMarks ‘Hit the Button’ interactive maths game for KS1 and KS2. Quick fire questions on number bonds, times tables, doubling, halving, multiples, division and square numbers.
White Rose Maths for KS1 and KS2. A series of five maths lessions. Each has a short video showing parents how to help children complete the activity successfully.
World Atlas a fun geography resource.
Wow Science for Reception, KS1 and KS2. A range of videos, games, puzzles and quizzes linked to Science topics in the National Curriculum. There is a section for experiments!
History and Museums
Artifacts International database of archaeological objects (hosted in France but content in English)
Visit Museums and Art Galleries from Home
London Transport Museum Online
Rutland County Museum collections
Rutland County Museum VE Day page
Smithsonian Access to millions of images from the Smithsonian Collection for school projects/crafts
PE and Mindfulness
Cosmic Kids Yoga Yoga, mindfulness and relaxation videos for EYFS, KS1 and KS2
Joe Wicks daily PE lessons for primary children during the closure on youtube.
For adults
American Archive Historic programmes of publicly funded radio and television fromt he US
BBC History Extra Podcasts, artciles and information
British Library Theses Free access to over half a million theses held at the British Library
FutureLearn Online courses from leading universities and cultural institutions around the world. Courses can be free but upgrade required for tests and certificates.
Getty Museums Free access to publications from the Getty museums – over 300 books
Humanities Digital Library Free (temporary) access to several historical one-off journals from the University of London Press and Institute of Historical Research.
Learn my Way free online courses from the Good Things Foundation to develop digital skills – from the very basics of using a mouse to digital photography, improving your health, finding a job and managing money online
Met Museum Publications Free access to publications published by the Met on art history over the last 50 years.
The Skills Toolkit – The DfE has launched an online platform ‘The Skills Toolkit’ to help people to build their skills during the coronavirus outbreak and beyond. Courses on offer cover a range of levels, from everyday maths and tools for using email and social media more effectively at work to more advanced training: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-free-online-learning-platform-to-boost-workplace-skills and https://www.goodthingsfoundation.org/news-and-blogs/news/government-toolkit-features-our-free-courses