At St Denys, we believe that learning is most powerful when children can practise and explore ideas beyond the classroom. Parents often ask how they can help at home; the guidance below offers some simple, effective ideas and resources you can use with your child to develop strong learning habits, build their confidence and support their in-school learning. Remember you can also find more information about exactly what your child is learning this half-term in the curriculum newsletter their teacher will share on Class Dojo at the start of the term. You can also find a few more general home learning activities in the children's section of this website. 

Home learning

At St Denys we set home learning each week. Our home learning is directly linked to learning in class, gives children opportunities to revisit previous learning and rehearse new skills, and is designed to help parents to understand what their children are working on in school. Helping your child to complete their home learning each week will make a big difference to their learning in school, so we always suggest starting here first.

Reading & English

Reading together is one of the most valuable things you can do. Just 10 minutes a day builds vocabulary, comprehension and a love of stories.

• Bug Club – all children in YR – Y2 have a Bug Club account, where your teacher will assign books and activities to support your current phonics learning. Ask your child’s teacher if you need help with log-in details or using your account.
• Local libraries – it is free to have a library card and borrow books from our local libraries. They are a great resource! You can find out more about Southampton libraries here: https://www.southampton.gov.uk/libraries/
• School library – don’t forget the school library is open after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays for you to pop in and share some books with your child. Younger siblings are welcome too!
• Oxford Owl - Free eBooks, phonics guidance and reading support for primary children.
• BBC Bitesize English - Short videos, explanations and activities matched to the curriculum. There are separate pages for Early Years (Rainbow), KS1 (Y1-2) and KS2 (Y3-6).
• Project Gutenberg - Thousands of free classic children’s books to read together.

Try at home: take turns reading pages, talk about new words, or ask your child to predict what might happen next.

Maths

Maths improves most through little‑and‑often practice and real‑life problem‑solving. Everyday activities such as cooking, shopping or measuring are perfect opportunities.

• BBC Bitesize Maths - Clear explanations and interactive tasks for all year groups.
• White Rose 1 minute maths – a great free app for quickly practising number facts.
• Times Tables Rock Stars – especially for practising times tables, all children in KS2 will have a log in provided by school. Ask your class teacher if you need help getting access.
• Family Maths Toolkit – National Numeracy have a free toolkit full of practical activities to try at home.  
• Topmarks – Has loads of interactive maths games and printable worksheets.

Try at home: practise number facts, estimate totals while shopping, let children measure ingredients for a recipe, notice numbers while out and about (e.g. house numbers) and challenge each other to see how many answers you can think of to: ‘If that number is the answer, what’s the maths question?’

🌍 Science, Geography & Curiosity‑Driven Wider Learning

Children learn best when they explore, question and investigate the world around them.

• National Geographic Kids - Videos, quizzes and facts linked to KS2 science and geography.
• NASA for Students - Space‑themed challenges and STEM activities.
• Exploratorium - Simple science experiments using everyday materials.
• Duolingo - Free, gamified language learning in over 30 languages.
• Dorling Kindersley Activities - Downloadable topic‑based activities and projects.

Try at home: encourage your child to teach you something new - a powerful way to deepen understanding. You could set a weekly “learning challenge” such as designing a poster, writing a story or completing a science investigation.

⭐ Quick Tips for Effective Home Support

• Keep learning sessions short and positive.
• Celebrate effort as much as accuracy.
• Build learning into everyday routines.
• Ask your child’s teacher if you’re unsure what to focus on.
• Encourage curiosity — questions matter more than perfect answers.