Home Reading

At Primrose Hill we believe that a quality English curriculum should develop children’s love of reading, writing and oracy.  A key priority is teaching children to read enabling them to both read for pleasure but also learn, understand and unlock the world around them through comprehension.   We recognise the importance of nurturing a culture where children are engaged and take pride in their writing, can write clearly and accurately and use vocabulary and ideas from reading to enhance their writing.  We recognise the valuable contribution parents make to their child’s reading development. Children at Primrose Hill are taught to read through daily phonics lessons and reading through daily 'Drop Everything and Read' sessions. In time children will bring home individual reading challenges including phonics books. 'Read aloud at home' stories are also loaned to families to support our ethos of reading for enjoyment.  They are intended to be shared with your child (either read to your child or with them) to develop their love of reading. 

Children in this year group use the Floppy's Phonics scheme which includes picture stories with no words and pictures books and non-fiction texts with words. Books within this scheme are pitched at the child's level, with a strong emphasis on phonics. The vocabulary within these books supports the children to explore new words and encourages them to use this new vocabulary as they talk about events and information in the books they read.  In time this vocabulary will feed into their developing writing skills. 

The books are systematic in their order and level of challenge. Children progress through the books at a pace which meets their individual needs. We expect children to read books more than once to support understanding, confidence and the development of reading competence.  Decoding words through the use of phonic knowledge and beginning to recognise words once the skills of decoding them has been established are key to successful reading.  Developing fluency and automaticity are essential reading skills which aid understanding of the words being read.  All of this enables new vocabulary to be absorbed and reading confidence and fluency to develop. Teachers are continually assessing children's reading skills to determine when the time is right to move them on to the next level of books.

Please refer to the curriculum information pack your received in October and speak to your child's teacher if you would like further advice and support regarding reading at home, and if you have any questions about your child's reading knowledge and skills.

Children read with adults throughout each week. Please ensure your child has their reading folder and reading diary in school everyday. 

Homework

All teachers at Primrose Hill highly value the positive contribution that parents make and the support they provide for their child’s education.  We are keen to ensure that weekly homework is focussed on developing key skills, knowledge and understanding in Reading, Writing and Maths. School has invested heavily in many online learning platforms which you may be familiar with and we are keen to utilise these to support children in their development of key skills wherever possible. Please refer to the useful links section of the class page. We also acknowledge the importance of children being able to carry out some of their homework with an increasing level of independence over time and recognise that time limitations are a factor for many of our families when completing homework.  A half termly Learning Log task will be sent home at the end of each half term which provides the opportunity for children to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of their topic in a creative way.

Outdoor Learning

Children have access to the outdoor classroom every day.  Learning through exploration outdoors in an environment where space to move freely and seasonal changes influence play, supports the development of children's physical and social  skills, interest in the natural world and vocabulary development.  The right clothing is essential in supporting children's continuous access to outdoors.  A warm coat, hat and gloves in winter, sun protection in the Spring and Summer and wellies are requested.  Please ensure your child's name is clearly labeled in all your child's belongings.

PE 

PE kit - Children should wear blue shorts and a white t-shirt for PE. PE kits should be brought to school at the start of each half term and should remain in school for the duration of the half term. This ensures every child has the kit they need to take part in PE. lessons safely.

Lessons may sometimes take place outside so we recommend children have tracksuit bottoms and jumper in their PE bag during the colder months so that they are prepared to go outside when required. Footwear is not needed for indoor PE and trainers are recommended for outdoor PE.