What can you do to help...?

Parents often ask how they can help their child at home. All children need the opportunity to discuss their school day with you: they may not take the opportunity but it should be there! Children should be encouraged to read as much and as widely as possible. Schools can no longer listen to children read daily but it is expected by the Government that children spend about 20 minutes each evening reading. In all years children will be encouraged to find out as much as they can about the main topic they will be encountering that term. Year meetings at the start of the year will give teachers the opportunity of introducing themselves to parents and for the work of the year to be outlined.

If you really want to help your child have a chance at succeeding then here are some of the things you can very easily do...

• Give your child time to talk, hold a conversation with them, ask them questions, find out what their opinion is, laugh together and most of all enjoy each others company (an enormous amount of research says that the children who go on to be successful in life had lots of quality time with their parents to talk)
• Give them opportunities to be responsible and take control of some aspects of their life (we, as adults all like to feel responsible and in control, so do children it promotes self esteem, feeling good about themselves, being worthwhile human beings with a purpose in life)
• Make sure they have a good breakfast before they come to school and above all make sure they are NOT buying sweets, pasties,etc and fizzy drinks on the way to school (we all need decent nutrition to function well and sugar is one of the worst ingredients for affecting children's ability to concentrate, behave well and do their best)
• All children imitate(copy) the adults who closest to them, ask yourself what kind of behaviour you show them and is this how you want your child to behave (we have more and more children who think swearing and hitting out is the answer to a lot of their problems and it is totally unacceptable behaviour)
• Show children how to organise their time, how to arrange the things they need ready for the next day (getting into a stressed state does not help anyone because the brain cannot work properly or see things clearly).
• Praise your child again and again and again for the things that you love about them and see them doing their best at (we all need feedback on how we are doing as human beings it helps us to get a sense of whether we're on the right track or not).
• Read the newsletters that we send home, or check out this website for the latest and lrevious issues (keep in touch with their life at school and show them that you are interested and VALUE their education).
• Make time to read with your child and enjoy talking about the books (reading is one of the most important skills we will ever learn).
• Come to parents evenings and talk with your child and their teacher about their progress in school (we see a big difference in the children whose parents take a real active and positive interest in their child's progress at school)
• Understand that learning does not just take place in school but that schools are building upon what children have already learnt at home - table manners, getting dressed, walking, running, hopping, making a sandwich, using a remote control, washing up, caring for someone, fixing a broken toy, the need to wash your hands after using the toilet, how to react to the expression on someones face (the list is endless and again we can see a big difference in the children whose parents take the time to support their children in learning about life, help them to take risks)

Helping in School

We are very happy to welcome parents into the classroom to help in a variety of ways. It may not always be possible for you to be with your own child's class but you will be appreciated wherever you go! We are always looking for helpers on school trips so if you are sent information regarding one please volunteer if you are able to help.

We are very happy to welcome parents at any time but in a busy place such as this it may not be convenient for a teacher to see you straight away. It is always best to ring through to the office if you would like a meeting with a particular teacher. Please do contact the school office if you have any issues that concern you. If it is something urgent we will endeavour for time to be made for you straight away, possibly with the relevant year head, deputy head or headteacher.