St Mewan Community Primary School
Proud to be a part of Cornwall Education Learning Trust
Homework help
Help with maths homework
The links below will give you guidance on the mathematical methods we are teaching your child in school. We hope this will assist both you and your child if they get stuck on their maths homework.
Calculation Policies (KS1, Lower KS2 and Upper KS2)
Number Sense
In EYFS and KS1, the children have 15 minutes of daily Number Facts teaching following the Number Sense programme. Please follow the link below to the Number Sense Home Learning Zone which includes information on the strategies and mathematical vocabulary we use in lessons. We would encourage parents to use the same terminology when supporting their child with their Maths at home.
https://numbersensemaths.com/resources-for-tutors-and-parents/home-learning-zone
Reading
At St Mewan we believe reading is key to success for children in all subjects and areas of life, both now and in the future. It also opens a the door to a whole world of enjoyment, imagination and possibilities. Therefore, we try to do all we can to support parents on helping their children to read at home. We hope the documents below will help you in supporting your child with their reading whilst at St Mewan.
Reading at home
Supporting reading in EYFS and Key Stage 1
In EYFS and KS1 we follow the RWInc programme for the teaching of phonics and early reading. Information packs are sent to parents regarding this when their child joins the school and RWI parents sessions are held in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 during the Autumn term of each year. Below you will find information on how we teach phonics and how you can support your children with phonics and early reading at home.
Reading books in KS1 are sent home at the start of every new reading cycle, which, dependent on their group is every 1, 3 or 5 days. These books are all matched to pupils' phonic ability. Sometimes parents question why we send the same book for several days. This is best practise in order for children to move from decoding words letter by letter, to reading for understanding and enjoyment. The repetition of a text for a short period helps to build confidence and higher-level reading skills.
In addition to this, we send home library books, which are texts pupils can share with a parent. Parents should read these to a child and allow them to join in if they wish, but the entire text should not be read by the child as they may be beyond their phonic ability. Information about both books can be found below.
We have also included some recommended reads for each age group that you may like to consider purchasing or borrowing from the school or St Austell library to develop your child's reading and love of stories at home. Regularly updated recommendations of new books for each age group can also be found at Bookfortopics.com.
Reading at home RWI for reception
Redaing at home RWI for years 1 and 2
Supporting reading in Key Stage 2
In KS2 we use Accelerated Reader to assess pupils reading ability and give them real books at an appropriate level for their ability in order to help them progress. We believe this helps them to Read for Pleasure. Pupils are provided with a reading record where they record their reading which also details their reading level (we call this a ZPD) and their reading target for the term. They also take a quiz in school once they have a read a book, which helps us track their progress and regularity of reading. We recommend that children read for 20 minutes a day in both KS1 and KS2. Below you will find information on recommended reads for each year and how to support your child with their reading in KS2.
Pupils who struggle with reading in KS2, take part in Freshstart interventions or in RWI; we have a section of the library dedicated to older children who find reading more challenging. This area is stocked with more readable books but which have older level interest. They will also bring home their Freshstart Anthologies or RWI book which we recommend they read at home to consolidate their learning in school. If you have any question regarding reading at St Mewan, please contact Mrs Iliffe via the office.
Understanding SPAG
Sometimes parents find the new terminology we use in the teaching of Primary English today confusing. Below is a document listing all the key terminology and what it means, so that you can understand what your children are talking about and support them in their learning. We have also included a link to the English National Curriculum for your reference.
Useful links