Firstly can we say a huge thank you for supporting your child during this difficult time. Without parental support we could not continue to educate your children – you really are a vital part of our school community.

Guidance from the Government has obviously changed in recent days and we are preparing to welcome some students back during the next few weeks. However, it is clear that the vast majority of Years 7, 8 and 9 WILL NOT BE RETURNING to school before September.

This means that home learning is even more important. Students will need to keep up with their studies if they are to hit the ground running in the new academic year. Not only will it benefit them educationally but it will also help to improve their sense of wellbeing. Research has shown that having a routine, staying busy and active (mentally and physically) can all have huge benefits for young people.

Your child will continue to be set work in line with their normal timetable. This can be found in student diaries. This will mean that they will be set more work for Maths, English and Science than other subjects. It is expected that your child follows a normal school day – with breaks and down time – in an aim to replicate a usual school day. Every Monday morning the Harrow Way Cast will be sent to all students so that we can come together as a community and hear what you have been up to at home. In addition, we will share National Academy’s thought-provoking assemblies as well as Year team assemblies. Please also encourage your child to take part in the House competitions – these are posted on Show My Homework and cover a wide range of interests.

Work will continue to be set via Show My Homework using other applications like Google Classroom, My Maths, Seneca Learning, Tassomai and others. Teachers will record when work is submitted so that parents can check what their children are doing.  

A very small number of teachers are preparing to present ‘live’ lessons. We are developing the further use of Google Classroom to involve further teacher-led content, initially probably recorded lessons, for students to follow along with – more of this after half term.

We are also looking at how we can have a keeping in touch conversation with all students via their tutors and we are planning this for after half term.

Please do continue to support your child at home and encourage them to complete their home learning. It might be useful if you create a timetable or routine with them and reward them for good work (click here for some resources from the EEF). We do appreciate that many of you are working either at home or at your place of work or are looking after younger children or elderly relatives. Some of you may be ill and struggling with the pressures of lockdown so please do let us know if there is anything that we can do to support you or your child. Your child’s tutor will be in touch with your child regularly to ensure that they have access to someone in school that can support them.

Do have a look also at the DfE document that was released on 21st May 2020 – Advice for parents and carers supporting the home learning of secondary school children (year 7 to 11).

Thank you again for your support. Please do get in touch with me at caroline.lowing@harrowway.hants.sch.uk if you have any questions, comments or concerns. Please could you take 2 minutes to complete this short survey  on home learning – it really helps us to develop our practice during this unusual time.

Regards

Caroline Lowing

Deputy Headteacher

My Top Tips for Home Learning at the end of ‘Week 4’

Home Learning

  1. Stick to the school schedule 8.45am – 3:00pm – this helps your body get into a routine and makes you more productive.

  2. Exercise – it is proven that exercise boosts both your physical and mental health.

  3. Eat healthily.

  4. Get dressed – it may sound weird but getting dressed in the morning helps engage your brain and motivate it to get working.

  5. Try to remove distractions – Keep your phone in another room so that you are not tempted to scroll through apps and social media during your working time.

  6. Email your teachers – they are there to support you so don’t hesitate to contact them if you need help or advice.

  7. Learn a new skill – don’t limit your learning to school work, see what else you can learn around the home or perhaps pick up a new hobby!