Parents are flummoxed by their children's homework

Thousands of parents are hiding a guilty secret. They are often completely baffled by their children's homework. Six out of 10 admitted they struggled to answer their youngster's questions in a recent study.

The research, by children's publisher Dorling Kindersley, surveyed more than 1,500 parents and their children aged between eight and 12 years-old.

One in five adults admitted they thought their children were smarter than they were and one in three said they spent an hour a week on the internet or reading books just to keep up with their children's education.

Questions that stumped parents included 'Why is the sky blue?' and 'What is thunder?' (Answers below)

It comes as Ofsted, the education watchdog, said grandparents should be encouraged to help out in schools to improve grades with so many parents working full-time.

But a parent's grasp of general knowledge is hardly better than their childrens', an accompanying test revealed.

The survey group were set ten general knowledge questions based on National Curriculum subjects taught at primary schools.

Surprisingly, parent's scored an average eight out of 10, only narrowly beating their children's score of seven out of 10. More young pupils knew how many planets there were in the Solar system and how long a year on Mars was compared to their parents.

However the parents had a better grasp on history, with 90 per cent able to name Shakespeare's birthplace compared to half of the children. And only half of the pupils could name Horatio Nelson compared to 80 per cent of the adults.

Why is the sky blue?

Clear skies look blue because gases in the air bounce mostly blue light towards our eyes. Source: DK Eyewitness Guide Invention

What is thunder?

As a lightening bolt flashes through the air, the air around becomes five times as hot as the surface of the sun. The air expands at supersonic speed, making the mighty crash called thunder. Source: DK Eyewitness Guide Weather