In many families, homework can be just as daunting for parents as it is for their children.

But now a former teacher from Bath has written a book designed to help adults get their heads around the maths work which their youngsters are taking home.

Naomi Sani, who lives in Bathwick, has worked in a number of schools as a maths teacher and has also been employed by the National Centre of Excellence for the Teaching of Mathematics.

During her years working in schools, she had first-hand experience of worried parents who did not know how to help their children at home.

Mrs Sani said: "The idea for the book came about because at every single parents' evening I ever did, I would have parents asking me if there was a book they could buy to help them, and there wasn't.

"I then saw an interview in a national newspaper about David Beckham not being able to help his son with his maths homework.

"He was being ridiculed but then the paper said: hang on, there are lots of people who can't help because maths has changed so much. It looks different and it sounds different."

The 43-year-old started writing the book two years ago and carried out research for it at Bathwick St Mary's Primary School, where her eight-year-old son Oliver is a pupil.

She spoke to parents about the problems they had and sat in on classes.

As a mother of three young boys Mrs Sani said she knew what it felt like to be confused by the curriculum.

She said: "Although I am obviously OK with maths, I have had some sense of what other parents go through when trying to help my son with reading and writing. I understand the frustrations."

Mrs Sani's book, How to Do Maths So Your Children Can Too, is aimed at parents of children aged five to 12 years old and is being launched at an event hosted by Mr B's bookshop at The Bathwick Boatman restaurant at 8pm tonight.