What is My Role as a Parent/Carer?

Learners’ success in school is a team effort which involves parents/carers, the school and learners working together and so there are many things you can do to support learners at home.

Supporting learners with Homework

All parents/carers will receive an activation code for their Show My Homework account (Satchel One). Parents/Carers should regularly monitor homework through this platform to ensure that homework is completed effectively.

Research indicates that homework for secondary learners has an excellent impact, which can advance learning by an additional 5 months of progress over a year (EEF, 2021).

The purpose of homework is to further improve a learner's knowledge, skills and understanding and is an integral part of our curriculum. It is important in raising learner achievement. We work in partnership with our parents and carers to support learners in the completion of homework. To support the completion of homework we run a daily homework club Monday to Thursday 3.10pm to 4.30pm and on a Friday till 4.00pm.

Supporting learners with Assessment

There is no correct way to parent learners when preparing for assessments. Parents/carers should choose the approaches that work best for them, their family, and their situation. Below are a few suggestions for supporting learners.

• Talk to your child about their upcoming assessments. Ask them how you can help. Be prepared to be told that your help is not required (this can be disheartening) – but don’t take this to mean you shouldn’t do anything at all.
• Keep in regular contact with school, if you are in doubt about anything to do with the assessments contact iqbald@uptonhigh.co.uk who will pass your query to the relevant member of staff.
• Try to provide a quiet space for learners to complete homework/revision. Avoid tidying up their work/books, it may look like a mess to you but they may have a ‘system’ and your tidying could cause them frustration.
• Talk to learners about having their mobile phone in another room when completing homework/revision. Even phones ‘on silent’ cause distraction.
• Ensure learners get enough sleep. Regular bedtimes, and wake times, will benefit learners. Learners should avoid having a mobile phone in their bedroom at night, where possible.
• Set learners challenges. For example, you could ask them to revise a short topic; using the revision resources, you could then ‘test’ them on what they have just revised.
• The saying ‘We are what we eat’ is often true! Think about what learners are eating on a daily basis. Try to include as much fruit and vegetables in their diet as you can.
• Encourage them to exercise.
• Encourage them to drink lots of water.
• Think about whether rewards and incentives would work for your child.
• Ensure they take adequate breaks, we recommend approx. 20-30 minute sessions with breaks in between.
• Stay positive. Look for ways in which you can help them to believe in themselves by reminding them of the successes they have had. It will help if they focus on the short-term task of revising rather than thinking about the final results.
• If there are any revision sessions/intervention at school that your child has been invited to, encourage them to attend.
• Ensure that learners have all the required textbooks, revision guides and resources.
• Remind learners that the purpose of assessments is to practise, and to inform their teacher of what they do and do not know. We can then work together to improve their performance.
• Learners should avoid ‘just’ reading a revision guide. The trick is to do something with what has been read. For example: summarise in their own words, draw and label diagrams, get someone to test them.
• Encourage them to use the electronic platforms that the school has to offer. Hegarty maths, MyMaths, QUIZLET, Seneca learning, Educake, The oaks academy - to name a few! (Teachers in each subject will provide details).
• Use the revision resources that each subject has directed you to.
• Contact us if you have any questions, queries or concerns.