Parents have praised a new homework club that enables them to learn maths skills alongside their children.

Furness College teamed up with Ormsgill School on the initiative where parents take part in a series of after-school sessions.

Parents Joy Turnbull and Clare Galbraith said it had been brilliant to get the skills to support their children and they had grown in confidence as the weeks had gone by.

Joy, who has a daughter at Ormsgill School, said it had been useful to see what the children were learning so they could support at home, she said: “How they learn has changed a lot since I was at school so, although you can give the right answer, how they work it out is different and this helps us understand the new way.

“It is really good, it gives you a bond as you feel closer if you can help - it gives us both confidence going forward.”

Clare Galbraith, who has two children at Ormsgill School, said the support from Senior Teaching Assistant Jackie Mayvers who was leading the sessions had been absolutely brilliant.

She said: “I decided to come as my daughter is nine and she was bringing her maths home and I didn’t have a clue and I thought I need to do something about this.

“It is so different since I was at school, so this was a blessing for me.

“Maths is a massive part of life, when you are a child you might not think it but when you grow up and run a house and a budget it is important.”

Furness College successfully bid to run the scheme through the Government-backed Multiply Programme to support adults to boost their numeracy skills.

Hilary Johns, Head of Faculty for Academic Programmes at Furness College, said she hoped it would now continue.

Johns said: “This is the first cycle of funding in Cumbria.

“It has been so successful that we are looking at ways to continue the scheme at Ormsgill, which is part of the college’s South Cumbria Multi-Academy Trust, as well as roll out next to Chetwynde and then Vickerstown schools.”

Ormsgill School Headteacher Mick Cull said he hoped the project could develop further.

He said: “It has been great to see the strides that have been made in just a few weeks of this pilot and how well everyone is responding to Jackie’s engaging teaching.”