I WOULD like to draw your attention to new Get On campaign research which shows that many dads are baffled by their children's homework.

We have found that almost one in five (18 per cent) dads of children aged 5-10 years are regularly surprised by how hard their children's homework is, while three in five (60 per cent) would help their children more if they felt more confident in some of the subject areas, such as English or maths.

With thousands of dads across the country having celebrated Father's Day last weekend, we are calling on dads in Lancashire to gain the confidence to help their children more by signing up for a free course to brush up their English or maths skills.

Get On statistics show that 5.2 million adults lack the English skills expected of an 11-year-old and 14.9 million adults do not have the maths skills expected of a 14-year-old.

This not only means that many parents may struggle to help their children with homework but also that they are missing out on skills that can help make their everyday lives easier both at home and at work.

If any readers feel they could benefit from improving their skills they should call 0800 100 900 and find out how to improve them fast.

The benefits won't just be for their child, it could change their own life too.

PHIL HOPE, Skills Minister