Self-study

At Wildern we believe Self Study is a necessary part of learning as it is used to consolidate the work students complete in class.

We believe that completing work outside lessons helps students in a number of ways:-

• It develops the Wildern Attributes and study habits
• It teaches the importance of deadlines and consolidates and extends classroom learning
• It encourages an enquiring mind
• It affords the opportunity for enrichment
• It ensures opportunities to practise and consolidate new skills
• It enables students to think critically and creatively
• The impact of self-study on learning is consistently positive (leading to on average five months' additional progress)

Self Study is:

• Used to promote independent learning in order to support, extend and consolidate progress
• Used to develop skills and attitudes students need for successful lifelong learning
• Used to consolidate and extend on learning in the classroom
• Used to practice skills needed in examinations
• Used to help teachers and students identify strengths and weaknesses
• Adapted and appropriate to the learning needs of students
• Given in accordance with the school’s Self Study entitlement timetable

At Key Stage Three:

Self-study at KS3 is set frequently with a weekly or fortnightly deadline. Tasks should take a student up to 30 minutes to complete per subject area. The emphasis should be on the quality of the response and not the amount completed.

If a project is set over a period of weeks then the subject teachers should provide a clear outline of what is expected for each task and a way of checking in stages that the work is being completed. (E.g. flyer outlining criteria for each task and ticked off when completed)

In order to facilitate the transition from Year 6 to Year 7, we feel it is important to phase in the Self-study tasks for Year 7. This is in order to support students with the transition from Year 6 to Year 7.

Year 7 phased Self-study

September: English, Maths, ICT, Science and MFL vocabulary
December: MFL, Art, Music, Dance and Drama
February: History, Geography, RE and Technology

Listed are some examples of potential self-study tasks at KS3:

• Google Quiz / Kahoot
• Vocabulary learning
• Extended reading with comprehension questions
• Quizlet
• Worksheet
• Practice papers (Self marking)

Self-study tasks will usually involve peer or self marking to enable instant reflection and feedback for improvement. This may be conducted in a variety of ways by the class teacher.

At Key Stage Four

Self-study at KS4 is set frequently with a weekly or fortnightly deadline. Tasks should take a student up to 60 minutes to complete per subject area. The emphasis should be on the quality of the response and not the amount completed.

Listed are some examples of potential self-study tasks at KS4:

• Practice papers
• Independent revision
• Extended reading with comprehension questions
• Quizlet/Seneca
• Exam responses
• Flash cards/quizzes

How can I support my child's learning? 

Discuss with your child the best time for them to study each day.  There are many valuable learning experiences outside the school day that should be planned for and included when organising study time.  

Help your child to devise a timetable that suits their needs and check that their Self-study is in the schoolbag on the morning the Self-study is due.  

Talk to students about their self-study. You could ask:

“Have you done this self-study?” or “What is the most urgent piece of self-study you have to do and when will you do it?”

• Encourage your child to work in a quiet, comfortable place at a regular time each day.
• Encourage your child to see self-study as an extension of the lesson and not leave doing it until the night before it is due in.
• Check that your child has recorded the work in thier planner.
• Discuss the work with your child; do they understand the task? Can they extend and improve their answers?
• Encourage your son/daughter to work to the time allocation set for each subject.
• Refer your son/daughter to Google Classroom, school library or your local library.
• Remember to write a note in the planner if your child has a genuine reason for not completing the Self-study.
• When you sign your child’s planner, check that they are completing Self-study and meeting deadlines.
• Contact the tutor if you have any concerns about Self-study.
• Your child may receive additional work from the Learning Support department. Try to agree a regular time to help your child with these tasks.
• During exam sessions, ensure that your child has created a revision timetable that can help to plan effective revision.

Example of a self-organised Self-study timetable:

DayÂ	Subject/ActivityÂ	Subject/Activity	Subject/ActivityÂ
Monday	Stables 3.15	Maths	ArtÂ
Tuesday	English 3.30	Music Lesson 5.30	DanceÂ
Wednesday	Stables 3.15	Science	Drama
Thursday	GeographyÂ	Music	Youth Club 7.00
Friday	REÂ	MFL	ICT
Saturday	Stables 10.00	Football 2.00	Â
Sunday	Â	TechnologyÂ	HistoryÂ

Please don’t be afraid to ask the school for help – we have a range of qualified staff to offer that extra emotional support, practical help or counselling. In the first instance, you should approach your child’s tutor or a member of the Student Services Team, they will be more than happy to help you and your child to put things right.

If you would like specific subject support, you should contact your child’s subject teacher in the first instance.