Independent Learning

At Trinity Academy, we believe that education has the power to transform lives. We promise that every child who walks through our doors will receive six excellent lessons a day, five days a week. This consistency and quality in the classroom is the foundation of our academic success.

But learning doesn’t stop when the school day ends. Home learning plays a vital role in helping students secure the knowledge they need to thrive in lessons, perform well in examinations, and succeed later in life.

That is why we have a home learning policy for all students. The approach is simple, structured, and research-informed. It is based on three core beliefs:

Knowledge can be broken down into core propositions (e.g. “The cell division involved in asexual reproduction is called mitosis”).
The more of these propositions students know, the better they get at each subject – this is what we mean by progress.
Students can learn these propositions effectively using Look, Cover, Write, Check – just like learning a new spelling. Guidance around how to use this method can be found in the following video.

Our Heads of Department have carefully selected the most important knowledge for students to learn in each subject. These have been turned into questions, all of which are included in our home learning booklets. A schedule within each booklet clearly sets out which questions students should learn each day.

We expect students to memorise around 10 knowledge questions per evening, taking no more than 30 minutes. Using the Look, Cover, Write, Check method, they will practise each set of terms at least twice, with space provided in the booklet.

Every fortnight, students take a short quiz based on the content of the booklets. If they score below 7/10, they will be required to attend a re-learn clinic after school, where they will revisit and relearn the terms they missed.

But how can you help as a parent?

The most helpful thing you can do to support your child's home learning is remove their smartphone from them when they get home from school. Phones are a distraction and seriously hinder pupil learning. Help create the conditions for effective revision by removing these.

You can also help by quizzing your child at home using our quizzing booklets. This is a simple exercise that can be done each evening to support your child.

On top of their quizzing work, all students at Trinity are set 1 hour of Maths homework on Sparx each week.

Independent Learning

But how can you help as a parent?

Useful documents