Year 6 Parents Guide 2024-25

16 What your child will study At the start of Year 7, students are taught in mixed ability teaching groups, with the exception of Maths which set students after the first Learning Cycle. Students are then placed into ability sets for other subjects gradually. The curriculum in Year 8 is very similar to Year 7. However, towards the end of Year 8, students choose to specialise in one language and one Design Technology option to study in Year 9. How can I support my child with their homework Independent Learning is defined as ‘any work or activities which students are asked to do outside lesson time’. At King James’s we value independent learning and believe that independent learning activities should be an extension of lessons so that students continue to learn beyond the classroom. The purpose of any independent learning may include: • to enable students to develop the skills needed for independent study • to enable students to meet the demands of examined courses including coursework where relevant • to review, practise, broaden and consolidate learning which has taken place within the classroom, including in preparation for assessment • to sustain the involvement of parents and carers in students’ learning and create opportunities for them to be involved in their children’s learning When students are set homework, it will be loaded onto their student portal, which can be viewed via MCAS. This gives you an opportunity to check what homework has been set and whether it has been completed. We encourage students struggling with a homework task to speak with their form tutor or their subject teacher. We ask parents to use the planners to communicate with subject teachers or tutors regarding homework. Independent learning tasks are set by departments and by subject teachers. At Key Stage 3 homework tasks are identified as bronze, silver and gold tasks, dependent on the length of time it takes to complete them. Tasks set at Key Stage 3 can be found in the department areas on the website. At Key Stage 4 and 5 pupils can expect to receive more homework which will be set by subject teachers. To support independent learning school offers homework clubs, ICT facilities and there is a staffed library which is open to pupils to use before and after school. Further information can be found here. ENGAGED