Learning at home should support and reinforce what children are learning in school without placing unnecessary pressure on family life.

At Honilands, we focus on a small number of regular activities which we know make a real difference to children's confidence, fluency and progress.

Our main expectations are:

• read every day

• practise weekly spellings

• practise times tables regularly

• complete any additional maths or curriculum homework that may occasionally be sent home.

Reading every day

Reading is the most important home-learning activity we ask families to support.

We encourage every child to read or share a book at home every day.

Regular reading helps children develop fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, imagination and knowledge of the world. Just as importantly, we want children to develop a genuine enjoyment of books and see reading as something they choose to do, not simply a school task.

Children following Read Write Inc.

Children who are following our Read Write Inc. Phonics programme will bring home a Read Write Inc. book matched closely to the sounds and words they have been learning in school.

This book is for your child to practise reading themselves.

Children benefit from reading the same book more than once. Re-reading helps them become quicker and more fluent, allowing them to concentrate less on decoding individual words and more on understanding and enjoying the story.

Please encourage your child to:

• use their phonics to work out unfamiliar words

• reread sentences until they sound fluent

• talk about what has happened in the story

• explain the meaning of words

• predict what might happen next

• celebrate how much more confidently they can read the book after practising it.

Reading for pleasure

Children may also bring home another book to share and enjoy with an adult.

This book does not always need to be at your child's independent reading level. In fact, sharing books that children cannot yet read completely by themselves is an important way of developing vocabulary, comprehension, imagination and a love of reading.

If a book is above your child's current reading ability, you can read it to them.

You might:

• take turns reading

• read most of the text while your child joins in with repeated phrases

• stop and talk about interesting words

• discuss the characters and events

• ask what your child thinks might happen next

• talk about illustrations

• make connections with other books or experiences

• simply enjoy the story together.

There is no need to turn every shared book into a test. Sometimes the most valuable thing you can do is read a wonderful story together and enjoy talking about it.

Older children should increasingly develop the habit of reading independently, but talking to them about what they are reading remains valuable.

Supporting Read Write Inc. at home

Watch: Supporting Read Write Inc. at home

These short videos from Ruth Miskin Training show how Read Write Inc. is taught in school and how you can support your child at home. They include guidance on saying sounds correctly, blending sounds to read words and listening to your child read their Read Write Inc. Storybook.

Parents and carers can find free Read Write Inc. guidance, videos and resources online.

Oxford Owl – Read Write Inc. Parent Guide
Includes explanations of how Read Write Inc. works, free resources, parent films, sound-pronunciation guidance and practice materials.

Ruth Miskin Training – Learning to Read at Home
Includes 17 short parent films showing how children are taught to read and write using Read Write Inc., including blending and practising sounds at home.

How Read Write Inc. Phonics works – Parent/Carer Guide
A useful introductory video from Ruth Miskin Training explaining how Read Write Inc. works and how families can support reading at home.

Oxford Owl – Free Read Write Inc. eBook Library
Parents can register for free access to a selection of Read Write Inc. eBooks to support reading practice at home.

Weekly spellings

Children are given spellings to practise each week.

Regular, short periods of practice are generally more useful than trying to learn all the words in one session.

Children can practise in different ways, for example:

• Look – Cover – Write – Check

• saying the word aloud and spelling it

• writing the word in a sentence

• identifying the tricky part of the word

• looking for spelling patterns

• using different colours to highlight difficult parts

• asking an adult to test them

• writing the words from memory and checking afterwards.

Encourage your child to understand the word as well as spell it. Using a new word correctly in a sentence helps make the learning more meaningful.

Times tables

We ask children to practise their times tables regularly.

Quick recall of multiplication and division facts makes a significant difference to children's confidence in mathematics because these facts are used in many areas of maths.

All children who are working on times tables have access to Times Tables Rock Stars (TTRS) using their school account.

Short, regular practice is best. Around 5–10 minutes at a time can be more effective than a long session once a week.

TTRS is designed to help children improve the speed and accuracy of their multiplication and division recall through short, engaging practice. Children can use it on a computer, Chromebook, tablet or phone.

Parents and carers can also visit the Times Tables Rock Stars – Parents & Carers page for guidance on how the platform works, how to support practice at home, progress information and accessibility settings.

Other ways to practise times tables

Times tables do not always need to be practised on a screen.

Try:

• chanting a times table forwards and backwards

• asking quick-fire multiplication questions

• asking the related division facts

• using playing cards or dice to generate questions

• practising a particular table while walking or travelling

• writing out a multiplication square

• spotting patterns within tables

• asking questions in different orders rather than always starting at ×1

• discussing related facts, for example: if 6 × 4 = 24, then 4 × 6 = 24, 24 ÷ 6 = 4 and 24 ÷ 4 = 6.

The goal is for children to recall facts automatically, rather than needing to count through a table each time.

Maths at home

Teachers may occasionally send home additional maths practice linked to learning taking place in class.

This might be used to consolidate an important skill, provide additional fluency practice or prepare children for future learning.

When supporting maths at home, encourage your child to explain how they know rather than simply giving an answer.

If your child is finding a piece of homework particularly difficult, please let their teacher know. Homework should reinforce learning rather than become a source of anxiety.

Useful resources

We recommend a small number of high-quality resources rather than a long list of websites.

Times Tables Rock Stars

Children can use their school account to practise multiplication and division facts in short, engaging sessions. Parents can also visit the TTRS Parents & Carers page for guidance on supporting practice at home.

Oxford Owl for Home

Free support for parents with reading, phonics, English and maths, including activities, advice and a free eBook library for children aged 3–11.

White Rose – 1-Minute Maths

A free app offering short activities designed to build number fluency and confidence. It is particularly useful for younger primary-aged children and can be used at home in short bursts.

BBC Bitesize Primary

Useful explanations, activities and games across English, maths and the wider curriculum for primary-aged children.

How parents can help most

You do not need to recreate school at home.

The most helpful things families can do are often the simplest:

read together, talk together, practise little and often, show an interest in what your child is learning and celebrate their effort and improvement.

If you are unsure how best to support your child with their home learning, please speak to their class teacher.