Since the real world currently holds little appeal right now, in our house we’ve retreated into the world of children’s literature.

This is a considerably more exciting and altogether happier place peopled with adventurous children, magical trees and all manner of heroes and villains.

However, it has also triggered latent envy for the parents in children’s books.

This extends particularly those from a bygone era where no one had any safeguarding issues with sending your kids off to live on an island and risk assessments consisted of scribbling “If not duffers, won’t drown” on a piece of paper.

It made me wonder how these parents would cope with homeschooling. Could their approach inspire me to up my game? I decided to take a closer look at the role models available…

Mr and Mrs Weasley from Harry Potter

With the key worker away, you’ve got a lot of children to manage on your own (especially since one of your sons has moved a couple of friends in).

Use a Time-Turner to fit all the lessons in and make sure the kids all muck in with the chores.

Don’t bother working with the older teenagers - it’s clear exams don’t matter to them and there’s always a chance their entrepreneurial streak will pay off one day.

Marmee from Little Women

School may be shut but that doesn’t mean you can sit back. It’s time to instil in your children a sense of social responsibility. Volunteer for the NHS.

And, when work takes you away from home, get the older children to educate the younger ones while also looking out for the neighbours.

Drop a postcard offering help to all the houses in the street. Check on elderly neighbours daily. If necessary, give them your breakfast.

Aunt Fanny and Uncle Quentin from The Famous Five

Let’s face it, you’re basically single parenting here.

Fill a basket with hard-boiled eggs, ham, rolls, bags of tomatoes and lashings of ginger beer and send the kids off to social distance on an island.

Then pour yourself a large gin and put your feet up.

Mr and Mrs Arable from Charlotte’s Web

If you’re simply too busy to homeschool, it’s time to call upon the natural world to help out. Send the children off to chat to any nearby livestock.

If you’re lucky, an intelligent spider might just deliver some useful spelling lessons and help close the vocabulary gap as an added bonus.

Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird

You don’t have time for your own work and your children’s schoolwork so they’re just going to have to get on board with your cases instead.

In a few months you can teach them a lesson about equality and social justice that goes deeper than anything they could learn from a decade of school. They may not pass their exams though.

Mr and Mrs Wormwood from Matilda

You can’t get out to work so use the time to dream up some more dodgy schemes while watching a lot of TV and eating ready meals. Ignore the schoolwork but teach the boy the art of selling.

Don’t bother with the girl, she’s never going to amount to much - she seems happy enough in her room anyway.

Caractacus and Mimsy Potts from Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang

Forget English and maths, get stuck into some science and DT. It’s time to shelve that flying car project and see if you can make a ventilator.

Danny’s Dad from Danny the Champion of the World

You’ve already been teaching your son some of his most important life lessons, so a closed school isn’t bothering you too much. Also, it’s nice and quiet for a spot of poaching.

Mr and Mrs Darling from Peter Pan

Delegate. Put the dog in charge.