St. Mary's
C.E. Primary School
'Shining Brighter and Brighter'
Proverbs 4:18
Supporting Your Child
At St Mary’s we welcome parental support in any form: support with homework, regular reading, volunteering or supporting the School Association. We hope the information below will be useful.
Homework
From Year 1 upwards Homework will be set using the 'Google Classroom' platform.The type and amount of homework given will depend on the age and stage of the child and is set by the class teacher. (See the full Homework Policy for further details).
Children are expected to practise their times tables and spellings, as provided by the teacher.
You might also find this parents’ guide to understanding progress in English and Maths useful. Furthermore, here are some Tips for Homework.
Reading
Reading fluently is an essential life skill. Books provide a stepping stone into a world of information and imagination. Here at St Mary’s reading is highly prized and we ask that parents support us by hearing their children read for 10-15 minutes at least four times a week. This shared reading provides an opportunity for children to witness adults valuing reading and also provides a wonderful shared experience
Even when children are independent readers it is important that they read to an adult to discuss the text and develop their comprehension skills. Suggested questions are available in this document:
Handwriting
At St Mary’s we follow the PenPals handwriting scheme. The key thing to remember is that all letters start from the top (apart from d and e), and joining is introduced in Year 1 once children are ready. As a school, we expect children to use a clear, neat joined script in their everyday writing. We do not teach ‘cursive’ (joining from the line).
Below are some resources you may find useful, including examples of letter formations and joins, and an overview of what is taught in each year group.
Penpals Joined Letter Formation
Penpals Handwriting Practice Sheets
Read Write Inc
At St Mary’s we teach Phonics using the Read Write Inc scheme. The link below gives information on the scheme and how parents can support their children’s phonic knowledge.
http://www.oup.com/oxed/primary/rwi/forparents/
High Frequency Words List
Below is a link to the high frequency words pupils need to learn to read and spell
