insideKENT Magazine Issue 84 - March 2019 | Page 134

IN ASSOCIATION WITH
EDUCATION
WHAT THE SUMMER SLIDE MEANS FOR YOUR CHILD
AND HOW TO AVOID IT
THE UK SCHOOL SUMMER HOLIDAYS ARE A SOURCE OF GREAT ANTICIPATION, PARTICULARLY FOR
CHILDREN, AS WELL AS FOR THEIR PARENTS WHO ARE DUE A WELL-EARNED BREAK FROM THE SCHOOL
RUN. AS EXCITING AS THE SUMMER CAN BE, IT CAN ALSO CAUSE CONCERN FOR MANY PARENTS AND
QUESTIONS OF HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF THIS TIME ARE A REGULAR OCCURENCE.
While it is important that children
have ample time to rest, and enjoy
themselves during this break, it is also
a great opportunity for them to
develop academic skills. Summer
schools can not only help to prevent
the summer slide, but support a child
to build new skills and knowledge.
They are also an effective way of
ensuring children benefit from social
experiences and engaging extra-
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curricular activities. This provides
parents with the reassurance that their
children are not only doing something
productive with their summer, but
also that they are in safe hands,
engaged in activities and generally
having a wholesome experience which
eases the guilt of needing to cram in
the work hours alongside childcare!
Through its award-winning summer
schools, Immerse Education aims to
inspire future generations to become
technologically minded. On its
technology programmes, students aged
11-15 are encouraged to develop
practical and transferable skills that
can be applied to their studies and
future endeavours, expanding on the
curriculum taught at school.
These courses, including App
Development and Graphic & 3D
Design, offer the opportunity to learn
innovative tech skills, but also
encourage students to develop
flexibility, creative thinking and
problem solving strategies. Passionate
and expert tutors nurture the students’
passion for technology-based subjects.
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The most important question that this
long break poses, is how parents can
ensure that their children continue to
develop academically and maintain
the progress they have made during
the previous year at school. The
“summer slide” refers to the academic
decline that occurs when children
break from school for the 6-week
summer holiday. A review of
educational research by Cooper, Nye,
Charlton, Lindsay and Greathouse
states that the average child loses a
month of the knowledge they have
gained during the academic year each
summer, decreasing their opportunity
to hit the ground running when they
return to school.
This guidance transforms an interest in technology, giving it both purpose and
direction as they explore technical workshops, key theory, and exciting hands-
on projects, showing them the endless possibilities that technological knowledge
can provide. Skills sessions are interspersed with cultural and social activities and
excursions that ensure students enjoy all the opportunities that their summer
holiday has to offer.
Footnotes: Cooper H., Nye B., Charlton K., Lindsay J., Greathouse S. (1996). The effects of summer vacation on achievement
test scores: A narrative and meta-analytic review. Review of Educational Research, 66(3), 227–268.
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.3102/00346543066003227
To learn more, visit www.immerse.education
(Use code TechA250 for £250 off all tech courses)