Cate Blanchett says homeschooling during the pandemic was a "traumatic" experience

Appearing on 'The Project', she laughed: "You know, I was amazing for two weeks. I was blitzing it. And then all of a sudden my - you know, my older kids were fine, they would sort of self-direct.

"But I had to do my seven year old, and I realised that I couldn't even teach her grade one math. She sniffed that out after 14 days, and I was a dead duck. There was no respect there.

"I had to dress up as her teacher, I had to put on her teacher's voice, and she wouldn't start the classes until we had a full array of stuffed animals - all of which had the names of the people in her class.

"It felt like some weird cross between 'The Muppets' and 'MasterClass'.

It was quite traumatic, actually!"

Cate admitted her lockdown experience has given her even more respect for teachers, and she has urged other countries to take Finland's lead on paying their educators.

She added: "I tell you - in Finland, which has the highest and most respected level of education anywhere, teachers are paid the same as doctors and lawyers.

"And they should be, because the level of skill to engage a bunch of - often disinterested - students for eight to twelve hours a day is one of the most profound, respected skills of any profession anywhere."

Meanwhile, Cate - who played a psychic in 'The Gift' - recently revealed she visited a real one who correctly predicted she would have four children.

She said: "I'd never even had a reading, so I thought I should. She [the psychic] said some very strange things that didn't make sense at the time, including that I would have four children. Much of what she said came to pass - and here I am with four children!"