Home Learning

Home learning can be an important part of continuing to support children' learning and development. We keep our expectations simple and regularly celebrate children's hard work and achievements.

Reading

As we often share with you, the most important thing you can do is to read with your child every day, or support your older children in reading every day. Regular reading at home has been shown to support children's reading development, as well as having other wider benefits, such as increased self-confidence, general knowledge and access to the primary and secondary school curriculum.

We strongly encourage you to support your child in reading widely – reading books, comics, signs and noticeboards, menus etc. If these are done regularly for a good length of time, they all contribute to developing your child’s reading skills.

In your child’s reading record there is a sheet that explains how children will be rewarded for their regular reading at home. Please sign this regularly so your child gets the rewards they deserve.

Spellings and Times tables

Spelling and times tables are both vital skills that help children to develop their reading, writing and maths skills. There are so many areas in the maths curriculum that rely on children having secure times table knowledge. With both of these, good quality teaching at school along with regular practise help children to become secure in their skills. Research shows that the best way to get spellings and times tables into children’s long term memory is through doing small amounts throughout the week rather than all in one go.

Therefore, all children from year 1 to year 6 will have access to weekly spelling practise on Spelling Shed (which can be accessed online or via an app), with the opportunity to practise the spelling patterns they have been learning about at school. We will also send home paper copies of these spellings to give you the opportunity to practise in other ways as well.

We will also be expecting children in year 3 to year 6 (and those who are ready in year 2) to complete regular practise on Times Table Rock Stars (also available online or via an app).

Both Spelling Shed and Times Table Rock Stars have the most impact when completed little and often (e.g. 10mins for 3 times per week)

Handwriting

Children will bring home handwriting practise each week to support in what they have been learning during that week.

Optional activities linked to topics

We know from experience that many children enjoy the opportunity to further explore some of what they have been learning about at school in greater detail or in different ways at home. We want to continue to encourage this, whilst also acknowledging that you will not always have the time to do this.

Therefore we will be sending home ideas once each half term for homework linked to some of the topics children are learning about at school. If children want to share this with their teacher or classmates then they can bring things into school or you can send photos. Once again, we will celebrate the children’s effort and achievements in this. We will also share some ideas of books linked to the children’s topics that you may be able to get from the local libraries, bookshops or online.

Overall weekly expectations

We do wholeheartedly believe that regular reading, spelling practise and times table practise at home are essential to children’s learning, so these activities will be expected every week, checked by class teachers and celebrated through house points, certificates and other rewards.

For those where spellings and times tables practise is particularly challenging due to a lack of access to devices or other pressures at home, we will be setting up a homework club on a Monday after school each week to allow those who need it the opportunity to do this at school. Please contact the school office if this would be beneficial in your situation.

We’re confident this approach is a healthy balance between making the most of the positive impact homework can have on children’s learning, whilst acknowledging we want a manageable approach for all families.