St Mary's

Catholic Primary School

Resources to Support Learning

 

This page contains a number of resources and articles that parents may find useful in supporting learning at home. The main purpose of this page is to support parents in enabling learning to happen at home.

The most recent communications / resources will be posted on this page and older documents will be added to the archive at the bottom of the page.

The two most recent communications are:

  • The Home / School Partnership Policy
  • Supporting Reading

 

Home / School Partnership

As a school we made the decision to not set a rigid time table for our learning activities. The main reason for this was because know it can be difficult to achieve this and we what we provided to be realistic and fit it into different home lives. For example, not all pupils will be able to attend an online class or do their learning during normal school hours. Parents’ and carers’ schedules and resources also vary widely, so some can support their children  with school work more than others.

To this end we have drafted a Home / School Partnership Policy that we hope will support parents in knowing what to normally expect from the school during the COVID-19 school closure and also what we feel would provide your child with a broad structure to the content of their weekly activities. The level of independence needed for activities will be age related, but there should be a balance of activities requiring some and no adult input.  

As outlined above, we have left this open in terms of when activities or tasks are undertaken so that these can fit around family schedules. Our advice would however be to establish a clear daily routine of school based activities interspersed with free time.

 

What parents can expect from school What the school would like parents to support
  • Support the learning of vulnerable pupils and the children of critical workers in school and by request.
  • Provide or direct families working from home to core English and Maths learning activities. Support this with face to face teaching.
  • Detail daily age appropriate basic skills practice that children can mostly undertake independently of adult support. This will include:

            - Spelling or phonic activities

            - Number / multiplication practice (Times Tables Rockstars, Numberbots)

            - Setting age / ability based personal reading expectations

  • Provide a variety of wider curriculum  activities through linked learning on the school's website. 
  • Be available for e-mail communication between 09:30 and 16:00 (Monday to Friday – term time only). Where possible staff will respond as soon as possible but will always do so within two working days. This will either be by e-mail or follow up phone call.
  • Monitor pupils learning over the close down period and in addition to ongoing feedback through e-mail or alternative communication platform, respond to one piece pupil writing and mathematics along with providing resources for children to self-assess learning.
  • Obtain consent from parents with respect to online conferencing and hold virtual face to face whole class or group sessions in line with the school's agreed time table.
  • Provide children with weekly learning and resources  to support children's personal, social, emotional well-being .
  • Provide children with weekly RE learning and resources so that the school supports children's spiritual growth (Whole School Worship).
  • Specific and personalised guidance for SEND and the most able children. 
  • Provide parents with suggested resources that could support physical activity across the week.
  • If they are critical worker parents, only send their children to school when absolutely necessary and when all other alternatives for home learning have been exhausted. Keeping children at home reduced the likelihood of home / school and school / home C-19 transmission.
  • If they are the parents of a vulnerable child, always send their child to school on allocated days. School places are at a premium. Non-attendance can deprive another child of a school place
  • Attend the class teacher's daily register activities and any group learning sessions that have been time tabled.
  • Support where possible the school's English and Maths provision. Currently the school is using the government’s Oak National Academy English and Maths online learning lessons. These sessions need to be completed in sequence and can be spread over the week either as daily lessons or as blocks of learning. 
  • One piece of writing and mathematics to be sent or e-mailed to the class teacher by the end of each week.  The marking criteria will be the school’s agreed Writing Must Haves as specified by the class teacher, (see your child’s Class Page).
  • Phonics / spelling and number activities completed each day. Reading every day  (Note: Class teachers will provide guidance on book choices.)
  • Completion of class RE / PSHE / life skills activity and participation in School Worship each week.
  • Attendance where possible or access to the school's wider curriculum provision. 
  • Keep in contact with the school where possible.
  • Where possible, undertake one form of physical activity for 20 - 30 minutes per day (e.g Joe Wicks, Cbeebies Super Movers, daily walk).

 

For full Home/School Partnership Policy, please click link (Home/School Partnership Policy).

 

Supporting Reading

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