We're Back to Learning on 1 September

The new Orchard year is nearly here!

Orchard Homeschooling returns back to learning on Tuesday 1 September.

Over the summer, a great deal has been happening behind the scenes. Lessons have been planned, weekly learning has been prepared and everything is gradually being put into place ready to welcome our families back.

For some children, 1 September means returning to a familiar Orchard routine.

For others, it will be their very first Orchard week.

Either way, there is no need to race into September.

The first week is about getting back into the rhythm of learning: finding the pencils, opening the books, looking at the weekly plan and remembering how our days work.

A new year, but the same Orchard approach back to learning

We will continue to expect around 20 hours of purposeful learning each week, but that doesn't mean 20 hours sitting at a kitchen table.

• There will be reading, writing and maths.

• There will also be things to investigate, discuss, make and discover.

Some learning will need a parent nearby. Some will be completed independently. And as our children get older, we will continue to encourage them to take increasing responsibility for managing their own learning.

Most importantly, we will keep asking the question that sits behind everything we do:

Why are we learning this?

Because education should be more than completing today's worksheet.

Getting ready for 1 September

You don't need to turn your house into a classroom.

Have a quick check that you have the ordinary things you need — pens, pencils, paper, calculator, somewhere reasonably comfortable to work and access to the week's Orchard materials.

For our returning learners, it is also worth finding anything that disappeared into bedrooms, bags and cupboards at the end of last term!

Then enjoy the rest of August.

There will be plenty of time for learning when September arrives.

We return on Tuesday 1 September, and I am very much looking forward to seeing what our Orchard learners discover this year.

Welcome back, everyone.

And to our new families — welcome to Orchard.