After Woodrow Wilson's New Freedom, F D Roosevelt's New Deal and John F Kennedy's New Frontier, a New-something was clearly in order. He was tough intellectually as well as morally, uncompromising in the expression and defence of his opinions, resolute in the quest for truth, implacably hostile to what he believed to be pretentious and spurious; unwavering in his support of his principles and contemptuous of all actions which smacked of expediency.His origins were relatively humble, for his father, after being discharged from the Army through ill-health, settled in Pembroke Dock, where he worked in the dockyard for the rest of his life, experiencing periods of unemployment and hardship during the 1920s and 1930s. But it's the winners who become teachers, academics and examination writers The few with a peculiar faith in a ridiculous system That is the catch-22. The trouble is that the ones who have been lucky on the pedagogic fruit machine think they deserved it. Exams are a joke Don't let anyone tell you different. Be sure you have pencils, rulers, etc, so there can be no excuses.Try to fit family activities around their homework, so they aren't left out while everyone else is having fun.Be consistent: if you insist today, then you must tomorrowTell the school at once and often if work is not marked, taking too long or is set on unsuitable nights.Offer help, but don't take over or insist; it is their homework, not yours.. Younger children may need company and encouragement to enjoy their work.Help them to plan their time; suggest short spells of work rather than a long stretch.Help them to establish a routine.Keep reference books together and accessible.

But it reassures anxious children, smooths organisation and keeps parents in touch. All those are worthwhile achievements in themselves, so much so that Manningtree's next innovation is likely to be putting homework details on a local teletext system.Then when the children come home from school and switch on the television, they can say that they're just checking up on their homework ...KGHow to help your child with homeworkLet your child get over the school day - don't nag as soon as you see them.Ensure that they have a peaceful (but not necessarily silent) room and a clear surface. I don't have parents phoning me to complain that no homework has been set. And I know that homework is being set, because staff know they have to have it ready by three."Whether the hotline improves standards at the 11-16 school is another question, he adds. They know that we'll say there's the homework hotline, you could have rung and found out what to do. "Children don't waste our time making feeble excuses, like the cat ate it or Grandad wrapped his chips in it.

Studies in the US have shown that homework completion and parental involvement in school both surge when hotlines are introduced.In Essex the improvement has been marked, but more low-key, says Mr Rivett. Up to a million have been recorded to lines run by huge schools in Kansas. Each mailbox costs pounds 2 a week to rent; at present Manningtree's lines are sponsored by a local company and the school pays nothing.In the United States, where homework hotlines are common, the calls are free. Lines are open 24 hours a day and are charged at local rates: a three-minute call costs 5p. The lines also have a security code to prevent tampering.As well as the homework hotlines, there are lines dedicated to welcoming parents of new pupils, and several for school activities, emergency messages and important dates. The school provides each parent with a list of the numbers; these are dialled after first calling the main number, which has an introductory message. This involves splitting a single phone line into 40 separate lines, each of which can contain a different message - rather like a wall of bulletin boards.Now there are separate numbers for the first three years of pupils at the school and for GCSE coursework deadlines for older pupils.