We believe that home learning can add much to a child’s development and attainment and is therefore an important part of a child’s education. Research tells us that learning and understanding are deepened through repetition and practice. Therefore, all home learning tasks have a clear relationship to classroom activity and give our children an opportunity to practise skills and deepen knowledge & understanding through fun consolidation challenges. We encourage our pupils to complete home learning as this can reinforce their learning in the classroom and gives them the opportunity to develop self-discipline, independence and the ability to take responsibility for their own learning.

The key skills that children need time to practise and rehearse: 

• reading and talking about their reading to an adult on a daily basis

• basic maths skills, such as reciting multiplication tables and number facts to increase their fluency so that they can be applied in other areas of maths and problem-solving

• learning to spell patterns and keywords linked to age-related expectations 

Parent/Carer support has a significant impact on reading progress. If children can read at home, it really makes a difference to their outcomes. At Verwood First School there is an expectation that children read frequently at home. Each week, teachers will provide reading materials for you to enjoy with your child at home, and we suggest that children have the opportunity to read at least 5 times a week with an adult, which should be recorded in their reading record. Reading records will be checked on a weekly basis to monitor the frequency of reading. 

Home Learning in Reception 

As well as daily reading, the expectation is for parents to engage with Class Dojo, showing ‘wow’ moments and participating in the activities set each half term. Please check your child’s bookbag for their new home learning book which will be coming home today. 

Home Learning in Years One to Four 

We teach spellings initially through phonics using the Unlocking Letters & Sounds (ULS) programme and then as discrete ULS spelling sessions. We progressively teach spellings using the spelling rules and common exception words specific to each year group. It is crucial that parents and carers are involved in helping children to learn their spellings. Confidence in spelling allows children to write more freely and imaginatively. 

In years 1–4, children will be sent a list of words home via Google Classroom, along with a list of strategies for support.

Your child’s class teacher will dictate sentences to the children each week containing the spelling pattern/rule that they have practised that week. By checking your child's spelling progress in this way, we are able to ensure that they are able to apply their learnt words independently to improve their writing, rather than just learning a list which then becomes forgotten as the words are not used.

Times Table Rockstars: children in Years 3 and 4 will use this online learning platform ‘Times Table Rockstars’ to practise their multiplication. Teachers will set appropriately challenging times tables questions according to National Curriculum expectations. This resource will be used in KS2 and introduced in year 2 during the spring term.

For KS1, a short curriculum-based maths challenge will be set weekly via Google Classroom to support consolidation of their learning that week. 

Google Classroom and mylogin for information, games and home learning What is MyLogin? MyLogin is a secure, user-friendly tool that provides quick and easy access to applications through an intuitive dashboard. How Does It Work? ● Login Details: Your child’s will be a unique six-emoji combination. ● Accessing MyLogin: Search for mylogin and then select Verwood C of E First School. You will be directed to the MyLogin landing page. From there, your child will be able to select the Emoji login option and enter their password as provided by the school. ● Passwords: The new password will be placed in your child’s reading record. For more detailed instructions, please refer to the guide below: MyLogin Guide for Parents