Homework

At Yewlands Academy, we have designed a knowledge-rich curriculum, which is implemented across all subjects. To support your child’s knowledge acquisition and development, we expect pupils to complete independent homework for 4 hours a week.

Homework in Y7, Y8 and Y9

Pupils in Y7-9 should be completing approximately 4 hours of study at home per week:

60 minutes practise of maths via https://sparxmaths.com/
30 minutes of English revision using their knowledge organisers
30 minutes of Spanish revision using their knowledge organisers
30 minutes practise of Science via https://members.gcsepod.com/login
20 minutes daily of private reading of a novel or autobiography of their choice –https://www.southsoundreading.org/resources/reading-research/

SPARX MATHS

To support your child's progress in Maths, we are subscribed to Sparx Maths (www.sparxmaths.com), an online platform that provides personalized maths homework and practice.

Each week, we will set compulsory maths homework via Sparx that should take around one hour to complete, with additional optional practice tasks available to accelerate progress. The platform adapts to your child's ability level and provides instant feedback and support videos when they get stuck. To keep you informed of your child's progress, you will receive a weekly email letting you know how they are getting on as consistent engagement with the platform makes a real difference to attainment in the classroom.

You can find more information here https://sparxmaths.com/parents/ - login details are at the end of this letter.

Spanish & English Homework

As you will have seen within your child’s school bag, all Yewlands pupils have received a smart new folder containing their knowledge organisers for each and every subject that they study.

Each week, your child will need to learn, revise and recite key vocabulary from their English and Spanish knowledge organisers. English and Spanish teachers will make it clear within lessons which section of the knowledge organiser is the homework each week. We will also communicate this information to parents in a weekly homework message.

Pupils should learn these key words and terms using the ‘write-read-recite’ strategy:

Write out the key words and definitions from their English or Spanish knowledge organisers
Read them out clearly to themselves and parents/guardians
Cover up the words and recite/re-write to themselves and parents/guardians
This process should be repeated ahead of the weekly knowledge test in class

Science PODS

To support your child's progress in Science, we are subscribed to Science Pod (https://members.gcsepod.com/login), an online platform that provides personalized homework and practice.

Science homework will be set weekly on GCSEPod. Pupils should be familiar with their logins by now, however, if they are unsure of their details, they may request this information from their Science teacher at the end of a lesson.

The homework assigned will directly reinforce the knowledge being taught in Science, giving pupils additional practice to strengthen and deepen their understanding. We also encourage students to use their knowledge organiser as a helpful resource while completing their homework, ensuring it is by their side during the task.

Daily Reading

Research shows that at least 20 minutes daily of private reading of a novel or autobiography has the biggest impact upon a child’s achievement in GCSEs and beyond.

Pupils may loan books from our academy library or, of course, read novels of their own at home.

The key message here is that all pupils must be reading for at least 20 minutes a day in a quiet space without distractions of smart phones or television.

Please scan this QR code to see how you can further support your child’s reading at home.

If you have any questions regarding your child’s homework, please do get in touch with us via our email enquiries@yewlandsacademy.org