IndependEnt Learning

To ensure that all Rivington and Blackrod High School students fulfil their academic potential, we aim to nurture resilient learners, readers and writers across all groups. We understand that independent learning is key to the success of fostering this ethos, and that setting high quality, engaging home learning tasks from early on in secondary school can not only develop a culture of independence in our students, but can increase progress by up to 5 school months.

Equally, we know that in order for our parents and carers to support students in their education, the communication regarding home learning needs to be clear and consistent. Therefore, please see below for a video and information on our new, structured home learning model for Years 7 to 11.

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When will my child expect to receive independent home learning tasks?
Please see the table below for what home learning tasks will be set for each year group across school, from now on:

* Other subjects may set additional home learning tasks, as required.

How can I support with my child’s independent reading and writing tasks?
On the day where reading and writing tasks are set, Key Stage 3 students will use their Academic Reading booklet to complete this work. These booklets are given out at the start of each half-term and spare copies are available both from form tutors and from our school website.

There is space inside the booklet for students to write their responses, so all work should be handwritten in the booklet. The tasks are printed in the order that they will be required throughout the booklet: two reading tasks, followed by a writing task for each week.

What does reading entail at Key Stage 4?
In order to continue to foster reading skills, we recommend that students in Years 10 and 11 are reading on a weekly basis. This might be reading fiction or non-fiction texts for pleasure (utilising a recommended reads list from our school librarian or website); reading current affairs on websites such as The Guardian online, or conducting reading around their GCSE subjects, using websites such as BBC bitesize to read over and revise key content.

How can I monitor my child’s independent home learning?

Alongside this new home learning timetable, we are launching a new platform through which home learning tasks will be set. The online platform we have chosen – Class Charts - allows parents and carers to easily access their child’s home learning tasks through an app or website.
Please access the short video on our website via the QR code below, which provides an overview of Independent learning, details of how to access Class Charts and a brief tutorial on how to navigate this.
We ask that parents regularly log in to Class Charts via the website or the App to access what Independent learning your child needs to complete at home, and if or not this was submitted by the due date.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with the following people.

Mrs S. Moore - smoore@rbhs.co.uk Strategic Lead for Reading and Key Stage 3 Intervention

Miss J. Lyons - jlyons@rbhs.co.uk Assistant Head teacher - Teaching and Learning