How to Support My Child's Progress

Please ensure your child has access to the following equipment every day in order to access their learning. 

Black pen, green pen, pencil, pencil sharpener, eraser, dry-wipe pen (for mini whiteboards), ruler (with cm and mm), highlighters, glue stick, coloured pencils, compasses and protractor. Students should also have access to a scientific calculator each day (the following have all the functions students will need in KS4 and KS5 Casio 85GT CW, Casio 85GT X, Casio fx991EX, Casio fx83GT CW or Casio fx991 CW). 

We have a small stationery shop at school where basic items like pens, drywipe pens, pencils, erasers, and rulers can be bought at cost price. 

KS4 and KS5 Revision Guides

KS5 students can find additional support materials on the KS5 Courses pages in the Sixth Form section of the website. 

As a school, we have signed up to Seneca Premium, an online learning platform to support students learning at home. The software is specifically designed to support students with their learning at school and aligns closely with many examination courses at GCSE and A-Level. Access is free for all students. It is also possible to use Seneca Learning in order to review past topics and practice current topics by using the search function.

To access this software, please follow the steps below:

1) On an internet browser, go to https://senecalearning.com/

2) On another tab, students should sign on to Office365 with their school email and password. 

3) Return to Seneca and click ‘Login’. Students should then select "Log in with Microsoft". If students are prompted to log in with a password the first time this will be Seneca2020. If this does not work, students should access their accounts using the ‘forgot my password’ link. Students must use their school email address to access content.

4)  Students will then be able to search content specific to the courses that they are studying to ensure that their home study is fully aligned with what they are learning in school. Many teachers will be uploading specific courses and assignments to Seneca and it may be used as a homework tool. To create a parent account which links to your child’s account, please follow the instructions available at: https://app.senecalearning.com/parent/monitoring/overview

Many resources that are used in school are published on the following website and align very closely to the Wye School curriculum. Resources can be found at: https://curriculum.unitedlearning.org.uk/  Students will be able to login using their school username (forename.surname@wyeschool.org.uk) and their normal school password. These resources include pre-recorded video lessons that students can use to revise chosen topics for most subjects. 

Students have access to Sparx Science and will be set homework weekly using the platform. Students sign in to Sparx Science using their Office 365 school account. Sparx Science adapts to each student’s ability level, so it’s important that you don’t help too much, e.g. by answering questions for them. This can lead to Sparx giving homework that is too long or hard in future. We recommend letting students answer each question themselves and you can give help if they are stuck with the support and follow-up questions. Please contact Mrs Grist, Head of Science, if you require any support at KS4, or Mrs Obbard if you require any support at KS3.

Students log in to Sparx Science using Microsoft and their normal Office 365 school login details.

Please contact Mrs Grist, vicky.grist@wyeschool.org.uk should you require any support.

As a school we have signed up to Sparx Maths to consolidate learning which has taken place in the classroom.

Sparx Maths creates one hour of perfectly tailored practice homework for each, individual student. The practice can be challenging and uses spaced repetition and interleaving to support a positive change in students' long term memory.

Homework is set every Wednesday and is due the following Wednesday at 8am.

Students log in to Sparx Maths using Microsoft and their normal Office 365 school login details.

Please contact Ms Smit, kerry-lee.smit@wyeschool.org.uk, should you require any support.

Students have access to Bedrock Learning and will be set homework using the platform each week at KS3. Bedrock’s explicit vocabulary and grammar instruction increases attainment in reading and writing. Students need to sign onto their Office365 account then open Bedrock Learning from Google which will sign them using their school username and password. Please contact Ms Hunter if you require any support with Bedrock Learning Ellie.Hunter@wyeschool.org.uk  

As a school we have signed up to LanguageNut to consolidate learning from the classroom for students at home.  This platform is a great way for students to practise listening, reading and writing skills linked to our curriculum.  Students can also use this platform as a revision tool to access past topics that have been studied in class.  Username and passwords will have been issued by Rachel Moorat.  If your child cannot remember the password, then please ask them to speak to their class teacher or contact Ms Moorat Rachel.Moorat@wyeschool.org.uk  

This platform is to support students in PE and Sports Science, particularly at GCSE and A Level with their learning outside of the classroom. Mr Sparks will send additional guidance to all PE GCSE and A-Level students should you have difficulty accessing this website.

The Focus on Sound online platform supports students taking GCSE Music and Level 3 BTEC Music. Through the lesson and test activities, they can revise different elements of music, set work content (at GCSE) and revision of different aspects of music theory for BTEC. 

Specific guidance on platform navigation is shared on Arbor when a homework is set.

Students log on to the Focus on Sound platform using their Microsoft Office 365 login details.

Please contact Ms Apps, julie.apps@wyeschool.org.uk, should you require any support. 

Other advice on supporting and engaging with your child’s learning include:

• Ensure your child is ready to learn before the start of the school day. This includes making sure your child is awake, has had breakfast and has their exercise books, equipment and a water bottle.
• Make sure your child has a distraction-free environment to complete homework. This can include keeping background noises to a minimum, ensuring your child has turned off their notifications on personal devices and is not getting distracted by other people.
• Have a routine in order to complete homework or revision so that all work can be completed within a particular timeframe, allowing for downtime each day.
• Regularly asking your child the following questions will help you connect with their learning.
  • What lessons did you have today?
  • What have you been learning in your lesson?
  • What work have you produced?
  • What homework do you need to complete?
• Discussing your child’s goals with them can help them stay focused when revising for examinations.