Learning comes in all forms, starting from birth, and continuing through life. Parents do not always realise and appreciate the enormous amount of essential learning they provide. Children learn an enormous amount just through conversations they have at home. At school, we provide a lot of support for learning at home.

We update the school website frequently, so keep checking back. You can find the class pages in the Learning menu. Children also have their own username and passwords which give them access to activities, games, the teacher noticeboard and the opportunity to communicate with their teachers.

Most important is to keep on developing a love of reading, which means making sure your child has plenty of choice in the books they have available to read, and providing plenty of opportunity to read.

Children benefit from routine. During the pandemic school closure times, we recommended planning a daily routine and trying to stick to it. Many of the things we recommended are still things you might like to consider including in your weekly routine to support your child's learning.

Early Years children benefit from a routine which includes many of the following:

• Reading stories together and talking about them (this could happen more than once).
• Playing a simple board or card game and completing jigsaw puzzles.
• Drawing, writing or colouring activities.
• Making a den indoors and enjoying a picnic lunch in your den.
• Watching some TV together and discussing what is happening.
• Baking a cake or delicious cookies.
• Enjoying some time in the fresh air (we recommend you do this more than once).

Storing different types of toys in separate boxes is a good idea, getting them out and putting them away at set times. Children play more purposefully and with more concentration if they are not distracted by a mixture of things. This is similar to how we organise our Early Years classroom resources.

Children are more interested in writing if it has a purpose, such as writing a note to give to someone. A neighbour or friend might be delighted to receive a picture or note through their door.

Routine is just as important for older children, for their mental well-being as well as their learning, but they can manage longer periods of time concentrating on a particular task. Getting up and getting dressed at a set time is very important. School routine includes getting outside for exercise if at all possible, so try to keep this up. At school the children have a 'daily mile' to get fresh air and exercise, and it really makes a difference!

Make sure reading features each day, and help your child find things they enjoy reading. Encourage writing, too, and the children can practise their maths using some of the online resources we provide. Using their login details they can access Purple Mash and other online activities, as well as finding suggestions from their teachers for what they can be doing.

It is important to ensure that screen time (TV, video games, computer use) is limited to set periods of time each day.

Weekly routine should also include some project work, art, crafts, toys and games.