Home Learning during the school Closure

Our aim is to continue to deliver the best possible learning for your children while they are learning from home.

Your child will have their own “Learning from Home” book and learning packs so they are ready to go!

The packs include a very clear daily timetable and I would advise strongly that you look to follow that and set a clear structure and timetable at home for the “school day”. Here are some top tips to help the whole process along and to make your time and the children’s learning as efficient and productive as possible.

Have a clear structure for your day

Getting into a daily routine is really important no matter which year group your child is in. We are suggesting a timetable to follow each day which mirrors as far as possible the day in school.

• If you can, maintain your child’s normal school routine: up, breakfasted and ready to start by 9.00am, breaks and a definite end time.
• Keep to set periods for each piece of learning with little movement breaks and relaxations throughout the day
• If you can, create a dedicated work space for your child, free from phones or TV, where they can set out their papers and resources and leave it there when they take a break or are finished for the day.

How much to do…

We have tried hard to send home an appropriate amount of learning and challenge to keep your child busy for 3+ hours a day – a little less than at school. We appreciate that on some days this might be a struggle but we want the time away from school to be as helpful to your child’s learning as possible so please do try to encourage and support your child in following this expectation.

Regular breaks are important and as much as possible try to get the children into the garden and in the fresh air.

How you can help

1. Encourage your child to take their time and enjoy the process of learning from home.
2. If some things take a little longer than expected, don’t worry. You might want to let your child’s teacher know.
3. Remind the children about making S=P+A+C+E for their learning – Persevering, having a positive Attitude, being Confident in what they can do and in themselves and putting in the Effort!
4. Help your child stay focused by encouraging them to divide their day into multiple short “lesson times” with scheduled breaks.
5. Remind your child that it’s OK to take a break whenever they need one and not just when a break is scheduled. A burst of exercise or physical activity can alleviate stress and improve your child’s mood.
6. Try to minimise the distractions during the “school day” – TV, phones, social media, gaming etc…
7. Try to check in with your child and see what they are learning on a regular basis and always, always encourage them in the effort they are making.
8. Try to ensure they keep to the planned timetable and mix up the learning areas rather than doing a whole day of just one thing. A little and often is always best! If they are stuck and frustrated tell them they need to leave it and look at something else and maybe come back to it later if they can…
9. Remember a good night’s sleep is crucial for your child’s mental and physical wellbeing – this will be a confusing time for your child as well as for us all!
10. Spending long periods of time away from friends can be difficult so help your child stay in touch with their friends.

Looking after your child’s mental health and wellbeing

This is such an unsettling time and the children have a sense of that however we try to cover it. It is really important that we look after our mental health and wellbeing at this time. We have put some really useful resources on the website and we will keep adding to this so please keep looking on the link on this page. The daily routine, frequent breaks and changes and sleep all help!

Where can I get help with the learning?

Teachers will all be answering emails between 9.30am and 3.00pm each day and so if you have any questions about the learning feel free to email your child’s teacher between those times (only, please). We will also send messages via scopay when needed and the website will also be updated with any additional learning opportunities.

We will not be marking any of the home learning but where appropriate have sent home answers for self marking so please do not try to send in any completed work! However, please do send photos of any projects of happy times that we can share with everyone to help keep connected!

All teacher emails are available on the learning pages of the website and we will be adding lots of home learning ideas to sit alongside the packs that are coming home.

What next? 

The packs we have sent home will get you to the start of the Easter break. We will be working on providing further learning for after the two week Easter break subject to staff health, of course.

Keeping in touch

I will be sending home regular messages via scopay and the website and the staff will all be contributing to try to keep in touch with you all. These are unprecedented circumstances but we are determined to remain positive and to make the most of every opportunity we have.

We hope and pray that you all stay healthy and that the children have fun learning at home. We can’t wait to see them all back in school as soon as possible!

For information on the Coronavirus follow the links on this page