Supporting Your Child

GoogleClassroom

At HFCS we use GoogleClassroom to set homework, resources and home learning activities. Students should check GoogleClassroom and their school GMail regularly to ensure they have completed work. Teachers update their individual GoogleClassrooms with revision materials so support students when studying at home. Parents and careers are able to have a parent view of GoogleClassroom, please contact your child's Head of Year for more details. 

The guide below gives information on how to navigate GoogleClassroom.

Guide to GoogleClassroom

The Importance of Reading 

Reading is essential to developing literacy and supporting students' access to the curriculum. One of the best ways to help your child at home is by encouraging them to read! We have put together some quick and easy tips that you could use at home to encourage your child to read more.

  1. Read for 20 minutes a day with your child. Use our reading log to track their progress.                My Reading Diary

  2. Join your local library.

  3. Create opportunities for writing e.g. thank you letters after birthdays, or letters for relatives living far away.

  4. Block out the time in the evening e.g. 3pm-4pm revision, 4pm-5pm homework, 5pm-6pm news and reading.

  5. Watch shows with subtitles!

  6. Head over to the National Literacy Trust website for more advice for all your children, even infants.

  7. Identify your child’s hobbies and then build their reading books around that. E.g. if they are into football, buy them a biography about their favourite player.

  8. Magazines are great at introducing reading to children who resist books.

  9. Email your child’s teachers for recommendations on books and encourage your child to visit their school library.

  10. Read more advice from curriculum online                                                                                                                                                                                                                                r1

 

Reading for Pleasure and Knowledge

Reading can be one of the most fun, exciting, exhilarating, life-changing experiences your child can have however, it can also feel like a chore. Use these tips to motivate and encourage your child to read regularly.

Create a comfortable environment.

It might be a favourite armchair, underneath a duvet, lying on the floor, a massive stack of cushions – make your own little reading area that your child can escape to.

Music or no music?

Some people find music is a welcome background for reading: it helps their mind to focus. Others find it a big distraction.

Avoid distractions!

Music is one thing, but friends are another! Your child cannot concentrate on a book if they have friends chatting to them, phones beeping, the TV on in the background… Try to make your environment as distraction-free as possible, so your child can focus on reading.

Reading muscle training.

Just as you would train before running a race or playing in a match, your child needs to train to read a book. At first, they may find their attention wandering, but the more they practise, the easier and more pleasurable reading will become. Set a daily reading goal – 10 minutes reading or just six pages and build them up over time.

Open their minds.

Books can take your child to incredible places and describe/show amazing things that they would otherwise never experience. They can introduce your child to people who think just like they do, or who have interesting new ideas. Encourage your child to take a positive attitude to new books. Take an active interest by asking them to share with you what the book is about and what they have learned.

Be a good role model.

Children who see others reading are or more likely to read. Read aloud some funny or interesting parts of a book that you are reading.

Bilingual books

Researchers have shown that the bilingual brain can have better attention and task-switching capacities than the monolingual. Your local library is a great resource for bilingual books.

Find out more: https://www.worldbookday.com/families/

 

Critical Thinking & Philosophy 

The following is a set of resources designed to enhance the critical thinking skills of your child in a short, fun and engaging way. Each slide is a 5 minute discussion task which you can use to engage your child in academic thinking beyond the classroom. These tasks will help improve your child’s vocabulary but will also allow you to see how well your child responds to an array of complex questions.

A key part of decolonisation of education is the idea that knowledge is power. Historically, British education has placed emphasis on facts and figures and the learning of processes. All useful skills. However, what is said to be missing from education is a fostering of critical thinking skills. Those higher level skills that push students to think outside the box or creatively with the information they are presented with. Critical thinking also encourages high quality structured talk which is one of the seven recommendations encouraged by the Education Endowment Foundation.

Philosophy and critical thinking is an amazing way to do this and is often something that is purely a feature of public schools. These resources are inspired from the Philosophy Man website and YouTube channel and feature a range of activities. Some are silly and eccentric and some are more serious and require your input to carefully control the conversation.

Critical Thinking Resource Pack

 

Supporting the Curriculum 

Key Stage 3 Subjects 

(YEARS 7, 8 & 9)

rESOURCES TO SUPPORT LEARNING 

 

TWO SIMPLY THINGS PARENTS & CARERS COULD DO TO SUPPORT THEIR CHILD

 

ICT & Computing

 

https://scratch.mit.edu/ https://learningcontent.cisco.com/games/binary/index.html https://zty.pe/

Reading List

Encourage students to read a different book each half term from the list given.

 Drama

 

BBC Bitesize Drama - Edexcel 

 Take them to see live theatre wherever possible, Sign up for free events if possible.

 Geography 

 

BBC Bitesize Geography

 David Attenborough Programmes on BBC iPlayer

 Watch the news and/ or countryfile together and talk about the issues raised. Ask them specifically how people are affected by the issues raised and what the solution strategies could be.

History

 

Holy Family History Department YouTube Channel

 BBC Bitesize History

KS3 History Reading List

BBC Teach

 
Watch a History video on YouTube and/or listen to a podcast with your child. Discuss the significance of the historical event. Ask your child to read a few pages every day of a book from the reading lists.

 Maths

 

 MathsWatch

Digital learning PLCs which have been shared on google classroom

 

Spend some time on MathsWatch each day and the PLCs. 

MFL - French

 

 BBC Bitesize French

Seneca French

 

 MFL - Spanish

 

BBC Bitesize Spanish

 Seneca Spanish

 

 

 Music

 

KS3 Music - BBC Bitesize

https://www.teoria.com  

 

 RE

 

 Resources for further reading at KS3 are on the pupil portal.

 

Discuss what they have been doing in lessons. 

Resistant Materials

Video on ‘How to solder’ on Youtube www.technologystudent.com

 

 

Food Prep

https://www.foodafactoflife.org.uk/11-14-years/ 

 

PE

Join a Sports Club

Attend an after school sports club or activity

 

Science 

BBC Bitesize & BBC Teach

Malmesbury Education (YouTube Channel) for Science practicals

Direct them to 'Cognito' YouTube channel to revisit any science topic. Simply type the sub-topic you want to learn in the search bar.

 

 

Key Stage 4 Subjects 

(YEARS 10 & 11

GCSE & BTECs)

 

rESOURCES TO SUPPORT LEARNING 

 

TWO SIMPLY THINGS PARENTS & CARERS COULD DO TO SUPPORT THEIR CHILD 

ICT & Computing

 

GCSE Computer Science: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Up7DIPkTzo&list=PLCiOXwirraUAEhj4TUjMxYm4593B2dUPF

BTEC Digital IT: https://www.knowitallninja.com/

Reading List

Encourage them to read a different book each half term from the list given.

Drama

 

BBC Bitesize Drama Edexcel.

Edexcel Drama GCSE Revision Guide

 

Take them to see live theatre wherever possible, Sign up for free events if possible.

English

 

BBC Bitesize AQA English Language and Literature

Audiopi

Seneca

 

 

Geography

 

BBC Bitesize AQA

Seneca - AQA

Watch the news and/ or countryfile together and talk about the issues raised. Ask them specifically how people are affected by the issues raised and what the solution strategies could be.

History

 

Seneca - Edexcel 

Holy Family History Department YouTube Channel

BBC Teach

Reading List

GCSE Lectures 

Watch a History video on YouTube and/or listen to a podcast with your child. Discuss the significance of the historical event. Ask your child to read a few pages every day of a book from the reading lists.

Maths

 

 MathsWatch

Digital learning PLCs which have been shared on google classroom

Direct them to MathsWatch and the PLCs.

MFL - French

 

Seneca - Edexcel 

Revision World

 

 

MFL - Spanish

 

Seneca - Edexcel

Revision World

 

Music

BBC Bitesize

https://www.teoria.com

 

 

RE

SenecaEdexcel, Catholic Christianity

Discuss what they have been doing in lessons. At KS4 direct to Seneca learning for revision.

Science

Focus E-Learning

GCSE Past Papers

Direct them to 'Cognito' YouTube channel to revisit any science topic. Simply type the sub-topic you want to learn in the search bar.

RM

Video on ‘How to solder’ www.technologystudent.com

GCSE AQA Design and Technology revision Guide- CGP ISBN :9781782947523 and work book -ISBN 9781782947530

 

Hospitality & Catering

WJEC Level 1/2 Vocational Award Hospitality and Catering (Technical Award) Study & Revision Guide – 2nd Edition IBSN: 978-1913963323

BBC Good Food

BBC Great British Menu

BBC Bitesize

 

Textiles

Edexcel GCSE (9-1) Design and Technology Student Book: (Edexcel GCSE Design and Technology (9-1))

V&A

Fashion Textile Museum

Kew

BBC Bitesize - AQA

Encourage them to go to art galleries and exhibitions and for them to research on YouTube videos of textiles dceorative skills and basic pattern cutting.

Graphics

BBC Bitesize - AQA

IllutstrationX

D&AD

 

PE

BBC Bitesize - AQA

Paper 1 Revision YouTube

Paper 2 Revision YouTube

Seneca

 

Media

Seneca - Media Studies - Eduqas GCSE 

 YouTube - Mrs Fisher

Instagram - @mediastudiesrevision

Ask your child to talk about the current set text they are studying, ask them how meaning is communicated.

Sociology

All Sociology YouTube Channel

Encouraging child to watch and discuss the news and current affairs

 

Key Stage 5 Subjects 

(YEARS 12 & 13

GCSE & BTECs)

 

rESOURCES TO SUPPORT LEARNING 

 

TWO SIMPLY THINGS PARENTS & CARERS COULD DO TO SUPPORT THEIR CHILD

 

ICT & Computing

 

Computing Training

Reading List

 

 

Encourage them to read a different book each half term from the list given.

Drama

 

A Level Drama Study Guide

 

Take them to see live theatre wherever possible. Sign up for free events if possible.

Geography

 

Physics and Maths Tutors are advisable

 

Watch the news and/ or countryfile together and talk about the issues raised. Ask them specifically how people are affected by the issues raised and what the solution strategies could be.

History

 

Reading List

The Rest is History Podcast

Online Lectures

 

 

Watch a History video on YouTube and/or listen to a podcast with your child. Discuss the significance of the historical event. Ask your child to read a few pages every day of a book from the reading lists.

Maths

 

 MathsWatch

Digital learning PLCs which have been shared on google classroom

Dr Frost Maths

Direct them to MathsWatch and the PLCs.

MFL - French

 

Seneca

Super Curriculum app links

 

MFL - Spanish 

 

TV5 Monde

French Grammar

 

 

Film Studies 

Film Studies Revision

OCR Film Studies

Film Studies Video Essays

Watch a range of films from the recommended viewing list. Ask students to talk about the films they are studying. 

BTEC Media 

BTEC Media: Digital PLCs shared in Classroom Revision packs with all past papers and thinking hard tools Unit 1 Revision

Watch the news, be updated on worldy issues, social media trends, watch the latest films. How does media impact their lives daily - Direct them to PLC and revision PPT setup on Google classroom

Science (Bio, Chem, Phys)

Focus E-Learning

  A Level Past Papers 

Speak to students about their PLC online trackers.

Sociology 

Encouraging child to watch and discuss the news and current affairs. YouTube:AllSociology 

Ask what has you child learnt in Sociology today and how do they see this in everyday life. Read through your child's work with them to help with construction of exam answers.

Politics

Seneca KS5 Edexcel Politics

Online Lectures

Discuss current affairs with your child every day - Read a current affairs piece with your child and discuss how they feel about it

Psychology

Encourage student to do wider reading using the online textbook (students have the link to this on their google classroom ). www.simplypsychology.org is a fantastic online resource. Also encourage them to listen to the radio 4 Podcast All in the Mind: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qxx9

Ask your child to explain what they learnt in lessons, with a focus on Evaluating as well, not just key knowledge. Help monitor their completion of past paper questions using the past paper question packs that all students are provided with at the start of each unit. Help revise with them using flash cards of key terms

Health & Social Care

Lots of resources on google classroom - including assignments, lessons and revision resources Encourage your child to watch the news and documentaries relating to the subject, for example '24 hours in A&E' Conduct wider reading - some examples are below: This is going to hurt - Adam Kay The language of kindness: a nurse's story - C Watson The curious incident of the dog in the nightime - Mark Haddon

Discuss the current issues in HSC with your child i.e. what are their opinions on the current nursing strikes? Check in regularly to see their progress with an assignment - are they working to meet the deadline?