Spellings and Times Tables Update

Dear Parents,

Children are working hard to improve their basic spelling and times table skills in school and we are introducing them to different ways of learning to build a range of learning strategies.

Last week we introduced children to a programme called ‘Number Gym’, which is accessed online via a secure login and password unique to each child.  This is a programme that we have subscribed to as a school and has been successfully used by other schools across the academy trust.  It is a great way of learning times tables and does get them hooked to improve their scores and get ‘lightning fast’ !.  Their log in is in their planner and Number Gym will be set for homework each week.  Children start with bond builder and then when they have achieved ‘lightning fast’ on bond builder they move onto times tables, working across the times tables links on the page, achieving lightning fast for all three parts to each table challenge.  I am sure you appreciate how key it is to have good times table knowledge and has a massive impact on progress in maths.  The government are also planning to introduce testing of times tables in the future too so we want our children to have the best opportunities to be amazing at times tables as they can. So, please log on with your child and have a look.  You can also download an app too for a small fee, which is good if you are in the car and they have five minutes.  School have subscribed so there is no fee to parents to log on to a computer.  If you are struggling to log on, please speak to your child’s teacher and they will help.  If you do not have internet access, please let us know as we do have homework club.

We are also providing Number Gym booster sessions for children from Year 2 to come in one morning a week at 8.30am if you would like your child to come:

Year 2 – Tuesday

Year 3 – Wednesday

Year 4 – Wednesday

Year 5 – Thursday

Year 6 – Thursday (or any day they would like as they have thier own chrome books in class)

We appreciate that not all children will be able to attend these  sessions so teachers will make sure they have access to extra booster time in school if they can’t come in but we just wanted to offer the option if you would like it.  We are sure that we can also arrange for families with siblings can come in one morning together rather than separately.

We are also using a different approach to spelling practice this year with more time spent in school practising spellings in different ways.  Children have been assessed on a set of words that they need to know by the end of the year and then during the week they work on spellings that they do not yet know how to spell.  Teachers will be sending home the set of words highlighting which words they can already spell together with a sheet explaining how we are learning spellings.  Your child will also be able to tell you how they like to practise spelling.  We will be regularly assessing progress with their spelling and will send home key focus spellings that we are looking at each week for your information.  Year 6 will have spellings sent home as well.  If you could help your child learn some spellings from their list each week using their chosen strategy, we would be very grateful as this will help us in school.

Reading is crucial so please continue to read with your child daily as part of their homework.  Each time your child reads at home they will get a gem.  Please could you initial each day your child reads and make a comment if you would like to.

If you have any questions regarding the above, please speak to your class teacher and teachers will be more than happy to show you how spellings and Number Gym works.

Many thanks for your support,