We believe in a partnership approach to education with school and parents working together.

Great importance is placed upon reading at Aston & Cote school and this forms the basis of much of our home learning; we have an expectation that all our pupils will read or be read to at home each school evening and ideally at least once at the weekend. At first, in Foundation Stage, this book will be a story for you to read with or to your child. As your child progresses, they will begin to take home more books: one colour banded book; another R,W,Inc book and a school library book. Your child will have a Home/School Link Book and we ask that this is signed and dated each day – comments are encouraged if you have time. We monitor the Home/School Link Books closely so that we can guide, support and reward the pupils’ efforts.

We also send home letters and/or words to learn when your child is ready and they will receive weekly spellings to learn at home when they reach the yellow level of our R,W.Inc reading scheme.

From Year 2 (or as soon as they are ready) pupils begin to write their own comments in their Home/School Link Book.

Our suggested minimum time spent reading each evening is, 10 minutes for Reception and KS1, 15 minutes for lower KS2 and 20 minutes for upper KS2

We believe that home learning should consolidate the learning in school, as well as aid long-term retention. Our aim is to instil knowledge that we want all pupils to remember years after leaving our school and we believe this can only be achieved through daily practice. 

With this in mind, we have introduced the use of knowledge organisers for home learning, this is in line with what the latest research, which informs us about memory and how we learn best. The system will have a significant impact in the depth of the children’s learning. 

What is a Knowledge Organiser? 

This is a sheet with key knowledge the pupils will need to help them in their learning each term. The content is limited to the most important information they need to know in Maths, English and Science. The Knowledge organisers must be stuck into their knowledge books for easy access. 

What is the Knowledge Book? 

This book is a special space for pupils to practise what they have learnt from their knowledge organisers each day. Pupils may decide how they wish to present the information in their book, but we would like them to be as clear and creative as they can, to help them remember their learning. Some examples of recording may include: a mind-map or spidergram, recording on a table, mnemonics, highlighting some key points, drawing and labelling or just simply writing on the lines. It is important that knowledge books are brought into school every day as the children will be given regular short low stakes quizzes based on the information in the knowledge organisers. 

How to use the Knowledge book 

In order to get the best out of the knowledge organisers, it is important for your child to follow the steps below: 

•Sit at a table in a quiet space. 

•Take the time to choose a section in the knowledge organiser that they feel they should practice. Read the section carefully and really think about what it means. 

•Say the information out loud a few times. 

•Close their eyes and visualise the information. Say it out loud again. What can they remember? 

•Check by reading the information again. Repeat as many times as they need to. 

•Turn over the knowledge organiser and complete a written self-quiz in your knowledge book (please date). Write/draw all the things they can remember and/or do some examples. Let them be creative use colours pictures where appropriate – it will help them to remember the important bits. 

•Now they need to check their work CAREFULLY by comparing it to the information in the knowledge organiser. Check that it is factually correct; that spellings are correct and that it is their best work. Making any corrections necessary. 

 In order to promote ownership and independent learning, children in key stage 2 must complete their home-learning independently.