Embsay
North Yorkshire
BD23 6RH
Dear Parent/Carer
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome your child into Year 6 at Embsay Primary School.
Whilst the last few years have not exactly been straight forward, the children have, without a doubt, been incredibly resilient in the face of much change and uncertainty.
I understand that moving into the final year of primary school is an exciting prospect for many, but for some children, it can also be a daunting process. It is important that your child knows they can come to me, or any member of the year 6 team, with any concerns or worries they may have. This will help us to address them promptly and in ways which better support them, enabling a positive start to their Year 6 journey. This is something I have stressed with the children this week – talk to us, we are here to listen.
In accordance with school policy, your child will receive homework in year 6. I have set out a rough plan of how the year 6 homework timetable will look over the course of the year, but it will of course be subject to change when necessary – and in acknowledgement of individual needs. All homework given will have purpose and support the learning and progress of your child.
As well as specific homework tasks, your child will also be expected to keep up to date with regular practice of reading, spellings and instant recall facts/times tables. Although this will be assessed in quiz or test formats at times, progress should also be reflected in daily work in both English and Maths, giving us a more realistic and rounded understanding of attainment.
Homework will be set regularly and will usually have a hand in date for the following week; Spellings and SMIRFS/Arithmetic will be every other week however. Project work will be given a number of weeks for completion – usually 3 to 6 depending upon the nature of the task.
All homework will be recorded in your child’s homework diary along with a due date. Where necessary, typed-up slips will be handed out which give more detailed explanation. Children are encouraged to keep up-to-date with their homework by checking their diaries daily and checking off any completed work – this helps encourage independence and accountability of their own learning routine.
Children should feel confident they have worked hard and spent an appropriate amount of time on their work – but not too much! If you feel this is the case, please encourage your child to stop and let me know. Excluding work such as reading, spellings and times tables, children should not spend any longer than 30 minutes per day on homework – please let me know if they begin spending excessive amounts of time completing work – and ask them to stop. We can look at why it is taking longer than necessary and ways of reducing this for them if necessary. Please also encourage your children to let me know if they have unexpected plans or commitments to clubs etc. which may mean homework routines are tricky for them – if I know, accommodations can be made.
Year 6 will of course require commitment, hard work and should challenge your child’s learning. It should encourage them to question, explore and deepen their understanding of topics across the curriculum; this will also be reflected in their homework. That said, I often speak of embracing our mistakes and learning from them – we all make them after all: this is a key philosophy which I ensure is embedded within my classroom ethos. Moving forward, it is important that we discuss any issues that may arise as early as possible to facilitate your child in confidently tackling their learning head on. Where you or your child feel you need extra guidance or advice, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Homework in year 6 will be as follows (subject to change where necessary):
|
Weekly |
AUTUMN 1 |
AUTUMN 2 – SUMMER 1 |
SUMMER 2 |
|
Monday |
Maths (paper-based/online) |
|
Maths (paper-based/online) |
|
Tuesday |
English (usually paper based) |
|
English (usually paper based) |
|
Wednesday |
Spellings OR SMIRFS/Arithmetic (alternate weeks, paper-based/online) |
|
Spellings OR SMIRFS/Arithmetic (alternate weeks, paper-based/online) |
|
Thursday |
Project (ongoing) |
Project (ongoing) |
Project (ongoing) |
|
Friday |
P4C (Philosophy for Children) ‘Talking Homework’ |
P4C (Philosophy for Children) ‘Talking Homework’ |
P4C (Philosophy for Children) ‘Talking Homework’ |
|
ONGOING/REGULAR: |
|
Daily reading - children are expected to note any reading in their reading record – if this is a book they have chosen to read at home. It would be useful if they could aim to write at least 3 comments per week that have greater purpose – for example noting any challenging vocabulary, interesting plot or character changes, unfamiliar words they have found the definition of, predictions, interesting facts or information. I would be grateful if parents/carers could check their child’s reading diary at least once a week to support them in their home reading and to maintain our home school partnership. |
|
Spellings – children are expected to practise their spellings as much as possible. They will be provided with a ‘Spelling Menu’ and their Spelling Journals to practise in. Practising spellings does not have to mean writing endless lists and lists – unless of course your child prefers this! The menu provides a selection of ideas and activities to vary the way in which your child can learn their spellings – and hopefully make it more engaging. |
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Times tables – children should continue to practise their times tables regularly to help build fluency and confidence in Maths. If a child feels they are ready to be tested on a particular table – or on a random selection across multiple tables, they can add their name to a list in class, so staff are aware. |
Year 6 is as much about your child developing their independence and ability to organise themselves and their work for the year ahead as it is about growing academically. It would be beneficial if you could support your child with this.
I am very much looking forward to the year ahead; we have certainly had a positive start to the year and the children seem to have settled very well, which is lovely to see.
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Kindest regards,
Miss Sanderson