Home Learning at Stocksbridge Junior School
At Stocksbridge Junior School, we believe that purposeful, relevant home learning can play a valuable part in a child’s education. We do though recognise that pupils work hard in school and should be encouraged to develop other skills and interests out of school time; they also need the opportunity to play, socialise and relax. Home learning is designed though to support and reinforce learning. As staff, we give careful consideration to making home learning suitable and well balanced across the school.
Home Learning Tasks
At Stocksbridge Junior School, we use the learning platform Seesaw for children to access their home learning tasks.
Year 3:
- Weekly Spellings: Spellings are set on Seesaw each Friday. These spellings will be learnt in class the following week, however, children should also find opportunities to practise their spellings at home at least once. These spellings are tested in class the following Friday.
- Reading: Children should aim to record their home-reading in their diaries at least three times a week, stamping on each occasion to count each step towards earning their Reading Postcards. Children should complete their Accelerated Reading quiz at school once they have finished reading a book.
- Times Tables: Times Tables are set each Friday and can be accessed on their TTRockstar account. Children should use TTRockstars to practise and refine their times table skills. Times Tables are regularly practised in class, however, children should also find opportunities to practise their Times Tables at home. Times Tables are tested in class on Fridays.
Year 4:
- Weekly Spelling List: Spellings are set on Seesaw each Friday. These spellings will be learnt in class during the week, however, children should also find opportunities to practise their spellings at home at least once. These spellings are tested in class on the Friday.
- Reading: Children should aim to record their home-reading in their diaries at least three times a week, stamping on each occasion to count each step towards earning their Reading Postcards. Children should complete their Accelerated Reading quiz once they have finished reading a book, which can be completed at home if they wish to. The link to Accelerated Reader can be found on Seesaw. Children also have access to MyOn at home which they can use to practise their reading and comprehension skills.
- Times Tables: Given the importance and emphasis on the rapid recall of times tables facts up to 12 x 12 in Year 4, times tables homework will be set on Seesaw each week. These activities will be set on a Friday and should be completed the following Friday. The activities will correspond with the times tables that we are learning in class. All children have a TTRockstars account. Children should use TTRockstars to practise and refine their times table skills.
Year 5:
- Weekly Spelling List: Spellings are set on Seesaw each Friday. These spellings will be learnt in class the following week, however, children should also find opportunities to practise their spellings at home at least once. These spellings are tested in class the following week.
- Weekly Homework Task: The Year 5 Homework Task is set on Seesaw every Friday and is usually Maths or English-based. This task is due in by the following Friday morning.
- Reading: Children should aim to record their home-reading in their diaries at least three times a week, stamping on each occasion to count each step towards earning their Reading Postcards. Children should complete their Accelerated Reading quiz once they have finished reading a book, which can be completed at home if they wish to. The link to Accelerated Reader can be found on Seesaw. Children also have access to MyOn at home which they can use to practise their reading and comprehension skills.
- Times Tables: All children have a Times Table Rockstar account. Their login is recorded in the back of their pupil diary. Children should use TTRockstars to practise and refine their times table skills.
Year 6:
- Weekly Spelling List: Spellings are set on Seesaw each Friday. These spellings will be learnt in class the following week, however, children should also find opportunities to practise their spellings at home at least once. These spellings are tested in class the following week.
- Weekly Homework Task: The Year 5 Homework Task is set on Seesaw every Friday and is usually Maths or English-based. This task is due in by the following Friday morning.
- Reading: Children should aim to record their home-reading in their diaries at least three times a week, stamping on each occasion to count each step towards earning their Reading Postcards. Children should complete their Accelerated Reading quiz once they have finished reading a book, which can be completed at home if they wish to. The link to Accelerated Reader can be found on Seesaw. Children also have access to MyOn at home which they can use to practise their reading and comprehension skills.
- Times Tables: All children have a Times Table Rockstar account. Their login is recorded in the back of their pupil diary. Children should use TTRockstars to practise and refine their times table skills.
Through Seesaw, children may be redirected to any of the following websites to complete their home learning tasks:
Seesaw at Stocksbridge Junior School
Technology has fundamentally changed how children grow up, how they see the world, and how they learn. ‘Digital natives’ – our children at Stocksbridge Junior School who were born into a world run by technology – learn by exploring, collaborating, creating and approaching problems in new ways. They want learning experiences that allow them to create knowledge themselves. Implementing the Seesaw learning journal into our classrooms allows us to do exactly that.
Stocksbridge Junior School adopted the Seesaw class app in 2017 whilst participating in the Education Endowment Foundation’s ReflectED – Metacognition Project with Rosendale Primary School. Since then, we have continued to adapt, evolve, embed and make Seesaw an integral part of our curriculum. Our Seesaw learning journals allow our pupils to keep digital records of their learning throughout the academic year, collaborate with their peers and continue their learning remotely.
Seesaw – What is it?
Seesaw – How to log in
Each pupil at Stocksbridge Junior School is provided with a unique QR code to access their Seesaw Learning Journal. Whilst using this unique QR code, the pupil will only have access to their own posts. Each class teacher has a unique class QR code which will allow teams and pairs to collaborate on their learning in the classroom. View the video to find out what Seesaw looks like for our pupils.
Remote Learning
Our blended learning approach outlines how we aim to provide a seamless transition between learning in school and at home. Not only is Seesaw used for home learning activities but it is now part of the Stocksbridge Junior School culture, which is demonstrated by its daily and creative use within each of our classrooms.
If a child is unable to attend school in person and they are otherwise well, our remote learning offer intends to provide children with learning which mirrors that which they would have otherwise accessed in school.
Your child would be required to access Seesaw by 9am to view their timetable for the day. The day’s activities will follow a combination of:
- Pre-recorded instruction.
- Independent activities. Whilst some of these activities will require your child to complete them online, we hope to provide a balance of activities that may be completed away from the screen and then uploaded as a simple photograph.
- It may be most effective for your child to join their class’ live lesson though Zoom at a specific time, for instance, to participate in the introductory session of a lesson or to join the class for their daily class read. Links will be available via Seesaw.
- Small group or 1:1 interventions with a Teaching Assistant on Zoom at a specific time, i.e. this may be for phonics, Thrive or speech and language sessions.