Fairhouse Primary School
Courage, Kindness, Respect, Responsibility
Supporting Learning
Supporting Learning
How to support your child with their learning at home
How to support your child with their learning at home
Here is some useful advice (from the BBC Learning for Parents site) for supporting your child with reading, maths and homework. For further information, visit the website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/parents/primary_support/
Helping your child with homework
Homework reinforces what your child is learning in school. It also gives you a chance to become involved in the learning process. The time your child spends on homework is less important than his or her understanding of it. But the following is a rough guide to the amount of time he or she should be spending on homework at primary school:
Year group | Time to be spent on homework |
|---|---|
Years FS, 1 and 2 | 60 minutes a week |
Years 3 and 4 | 90 minutes a week |
Years 5 and 6
| 30 minutes a day or equivalent over 2 /3 evenings a wee |
Children are encouraged to talk to their families about what they learned in school on a particular day. This can be the most valuable homework of all, especially if you show interest and play an active role by asking your child questions about their day.
Homework is set on a Friday and consists of:
-A piece of English, Maths or topic work
-Spelling
-Reading
Homework may differ depending on the year group. Please visit the homework page to see what homework your child is required to do each week.
Helping your child with reading
Helping your child with reading
Reading with your child is vital. Research shows that it's the single most important thing you can do to help your child's education. It's best to read little and often, so try to put aside some time for it every day.
Think of ways to make reading fun - you want your child to learn how pleasurable books can be. If you're both enjoying talking about the content of a particular page, linger over it for as long as you like.
Books aren't just about reading the words on the page, they can also present new ideas and topics for you and your child to discuss.
Tips for helping your child to enjoy books:
- Encourage your child to pretend to 'read' a book before he or she can read words.
- Visit the library as often as possible - take out CDs and DVDs as well as books.
- Schedule a regular time for reading - perhaps when you get home from school or just before bed.
- Buy dual-language books if English isn’t your family’s first language - you can talk about books and stories, and develop a love for them, in any language.
- Look for books on topics that you know your child is interested in - maybe dragons, insects, cookery or a certain sport.
- Make sure that children’s books are easily accessible in different rooms around your house
Helping your child with mathematics
Helping your child with mathematics
As with reading, try to make maths as much fun as possible - games, puzzles and jigsaws are a great way to start. It's also important to show how we use maths skills in our everyday lives and to involve your child in this.
Identifying problems and solving them can also help your child develop maths skills. If you see him or her puzzling over something, talk about the problem and try to work out the solution together. Don't shy away from maths if you didn’t like it at school. Try to find new ways to enjoy the subject with your child.
Tips for helping your child to enjoy maths:
- Point out the different shapes to be found around your home.
- Take your child shopping and talk about the quantities of anything you buy.
- Let your child handle money and work out how much things cost.
- Look together for numbers on street signs and car registration plates.
Helping your child with Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar
Helping your child with Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar
Oxford Owl is a fantastic site for parents. Click on the following link to watch videos about the basics in Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling, how to help your child and discover a range of games for younger and older children.
Also, you can download this handy Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling jargon buster(created by Oxford University Press) which will be ideal for helping your child with their homework.
For English and Maths support for adults, 'BBC Skillswise' is a great website. On this website there are useful learning videos, quizzes and other online learning activities.
For interactive games and activities to help your child with their learning, please visit 'Fairhouse Learning Zone'.
- English Learning Links
- Mathematics Learning Links
Read, Write Inc.
Read, Write Inc.
Helping your child with phonics
Helping your child with phonics
At Fairhouse Primary School, we follow the Read, Write Inc. phonics scheme. Please click on the link below for useful information about how phonics is taught through Read, Write Inc. On this site, you will find useful videos about supporting your child with phonics at home.
Please remember that the more you practise reading with your child at home, the quicker they will progress.
