1. Welcome to Year Mr Harper Mrs Daley Mrs Byrne Mrs Hurley Mrs Leggatt Mrs Roper

2. How you can support your child’s learning Read with your child regularly Home learning High expectations of your child’s learning non - negotiables Celebrating achievements and expressing concerns Attendance – ensure your child arrives in school on time Safeguarding. Spelling – in class teaching. Maths strategies - strategies sheet. Equipment and clothing Promote independence You are welcome to share any skills which you have with us such as ; reading, cooking, religion, art and craft etc. We will welcome you into the classrooms to share these skills with your children.

3. Home Learning 1 Every child will have a Home Learning book which will be sent home on a Friday to be returned to school by the following Wednesday at the latest. Your child’s targets for reading, writing, maths and science will be in their home learning book for your information. A list of ‘non-negotiables’ which indicate the quality of work and presentation expected will also be included. A Home Learning task sheet will be added each term from which children may choose activities to complete in their Home Learning book. Teachers will discuss these with the children every Friday and offer suggestions on how they could be completed. We are more than happy for parents to support their children in researching and presenting these tasks in different ways.

4. Up until Christmas this will be mostly optional as in year five. However, we do need to prepare your child for life in secondary school and so from Term 3 each week your child will have Maths and English home learning which will need to be completed. We will arrange a lunchtime club for those children who would like to do it a t school. Non- negotiables

6. What do I do if I need to speak to someone ? Communication is really essential. If there is important information which the class teacher needs to know please can you let one of the ladies in the office know or write a note. You can always speak to a member of staff from the class at the end of the day. If there is something urgent which you need to talk about, the ladies in the school office will always try to find someone who can help you if the class teacher is teaching. If what you need to speak about needs a discussion with the class teacher, please contact the school office to make a mutually convenient time with the teacher. If you would like to talk to someone in confidence about a safeguarding issue or family circumstances, please speak to Miss Chinnadurai who is our Safeguarding Officer. In her absence please speak to Mrs Long or Mrs Byrne.

7. Before and After School School starts at 8.50 am and both playgrounds are supervised from 8.40 am. Please can you make sure that your child is not left unsupervised before then. No parents are allowed beyond the gate in Year 1 for safeguarding reasons. New reception parents are allowed beyond that gate until the end of Term 1, but not into the KS2 playground. School ends at 3.15 and your child will be walked round by a teacher from the class. If you arrive before and have young children, please do not allow them to make a large amount of noise outside the classrooms as this can disrupt the children’s concentration, especially in Year 6. The playground is not supervised after school and so therefore you are responsible for your children on the equipment. Thank you for your cooperation.

8. Special Events Canterbury Ironbridge (1 st June) Cycling Proficiency Links with the local community

9. What will your child be learning? At the beginning of terms 1,3 and 5 you will be sent home a Curriculum map of your child's learning. This is an opportunity for your and your child to research and become familiar with the up coming topics of learning. Your child will also receive targets which are generic across the year groups.

10. Problem Solving. Evaluation. Reasoning. Creative Thinking. Enquiry. Communication Information Processing

11. READING “Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.” Even though your child is a free reader, please still listen to them read and encourage them to reflect upon what they’ve read. Children are expected to read out loud on a daily basis. Record name of book, pages read and any comments. Read to your child as well as this will help them to learn how to use expression and encourage deeper discussion. Non-fiction texts, such as newspapers, magazines, comics, recipes, TV guides etc, can be ideal for extending the range of genres that your child reads. Questions you could ask. “Reading without reflecting is like eating without digesting.” - Edmund Burke

12. 1. Recall questions 1. Where does the story take place? 2. When did the story take place? 3. What did he/she/it look like? 4. Who was she/he/it? 5. Where did he/she/it live? 6. Who are the characters in the story? 7. Where in the book would you Find? 2. Comprehension questions 1. What do you think is happening here? 2. What happened in the story? 3. What might this mean? 4. Through whose eyes is this story told? 5. Which part of the story best describes the setting and why? 6. What words/phrases are used to describe the setting/characters? 7. What part of the story do you like best? 3. Application questions 1. Can you think of another story that has a similar theme? e.g. good over evil, Wise over foolish 2. Do you know another story that deals with the same issues? e.g. moral or social 3. Which other author handles time in this way e.g. flashbacks or dreams 4. Which stories have openings like this? 4. Analytical questions 1. What makes you think that? 2. What words give you that impression? 3. How do you feel about….? 4. Can you explain why….? 5. I wonder what the writer Intended……. 6. I wonder why the writer decided to………. 7. Why did the author choose this Setting? 8. What do you think this means? 5. Questions requiring synthesis 1. What is your opinion about….? 2. What do you think about…..? 3. Using all the evidence available tell me what you think about….. 4. Given what you know about……. What do you think about them/it? 6. Evaluation Questions 1. What makes this a successful story? 2. What evidence do you have to justify your opinion? 3. Does it work? 4. Could it be better? How? 5. Is it as good as…….? 6. What book is it similar to? 7. How is it different to? 8. Would you recommend this book? Why?

13. Guided Reading Each child will have the opportunity for quality guided reading four times per week and with an adult twice a week. Imagining Predicting Questioning and clarifying Summarising Preview Inference Review

14. Reciprocal Reading

15. Reciprocal teaching is a scaffolded discussion technique that incorporates four main strategies – predicting, questioning, clarifying and summarising – these are the skills which good readers need to comprehend text. Learning Outcome : For your children to become independent, engaged, motivated, confident and effective readers who have an innate love and understanding of reading. Through teaching this approach the children will be shown how to have a clearer understanding of the text they have read, to be able to take on roles, discuss, predict, clarify, question and summarise.

16. Once again your child will have a reading passport to encourage them to read a wide variety of authors

17. Overheard on a Salt Marsh Initially, English will be based around a poem by Harold Monro. We will then discuss with the children how they would like to learn the other text types such as non fiction.

18. Young Shakespeare Company In November we are very luck once again to have a performance of a William Shakespeare play. Our literacy learning will be based around the play.

19. Goodnight Mister Tom Reading towards this learning may be set as extra home learning, it is imperative that your child brings the book to school every day. A novel by Michelle Magorian. Our learning will be cross curricular whilst we link the story to WW2, evacuees and how our surrounding area was affected by the Blitz. Trip

20. Consultations Meeting in October after Kent Test results March consultations Ironbridge information evening Optional meeting in June However, we are always here if you have any concerns just make an appointment through the office to see us.