Books

Collins gives homeschooling parents free access to books

Scores of teaching materials and learning resources are now totally free to schools and parents alike

School child

Teachers and families affected by school closures can now access hundreds of books and textbooks for free thanks to publishing giant Collins.

Learning resources for both primary and secondary schools – covering English, maths, science and more – will be available free of charge through its platform Collins Connect until schools reopen.

And parents now having to unexpectedly homeschool their kids can get material and tips online too, with a free Big Cat reading programme available plus activity and revision tools there to be used.

Schools across the UK were instructed to close last week in a bid to control the spread of COVID-19, while the children of those classed as key workers by the government are still permitted to attend school.

Colin Hughes, managing director of Collins Learning, said: “Teachers and families have long turned to Collins textbooks and workbooks, as well as dictionaries and atlases, to support learning and teaching. So we are naturally glad to be able to continue supporting them through this challenging time. There are already hundreds of resources available absolutely free through our website, and we will continue to add to them in the coming weeks and months.”

Collins also plans to make textbooks available for free in a digital format for schools already using their materials – so kids can keep learning despite being kept safe at home.

Earlier this week we announced that The Big Issue’s frontline workers, who are crucial to making sure our vendors are supported through this difficult time, are classed by the government as key workers meaning their children can still go to school while they look out for the UK’s vulnerable people.

And for more brilliant things going on to help people through the coronavirus crisis, get this week’s Big Issue magazine from The Big Issue Shop or through subscription, head to bigissue.com/subscribe for details.

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