Homework Policy

The purpose of homework

By setting regular homework for pupils, we aim to:

develop an effective partnership between the school and parents/carers in pursuing the aims of the school and the development of their child
consolidate and reinforce skills and understanding, particularly in literacy and numeracy
extend school learning, for example through additional reading
encourage pupils, as they get older, to develop the confidence and self-discipline needed to study on their own, and prepare them for the requirements of secondary school.

Content of homework

For younger children, the emphasis of homework is on developing a partnership with parents/carers and involving them actively in their child’s learning. The homework at this stage will mainly consist of short activities of different kinds such as simple games, learning phonic sounds and number facts and, of course, reading together provide a very important opportunity for young children to talk about what they are learning to an interested adult, and to practice key skills in a supportive environment.

As children get older homework provides an opportunity for them to develop the skills of independent learning, and this should increasingly become its main purpose. It is important that children should gradually get into the habit of regularly devoting periods of time, which may not be long, to study on their own. By the time children reach Year 5 and 6 their homework program will cover a wide range of tasks and curriculum content. This will ensure that, in relation to homework their transition to Year 7/secondary school is as smooth as possible.

For all children, the main focus of homework will be on literacy and numeracy. Science and other subjects will be included as children move up the school, without losing the focus on literacy and numeracy.

Ongoing homework tasks & guidance for pupils/parents:

	Reception	Year 1&2	Year 3&4	Year 5&6
Reading	10-15 minutes per day	15-20 minutes per day	20-30 minutes per day	30+ minutes per day
Maths Passports	2-3 times per wk - Practice math’s passport games for current targets – see web page for links

Additional Weekly tasks:

	Reception	Year 1&2	Year 3&4	Year 5&6
Time allocation	1 hour per week	1.5 hours per week	2 hours per week	2.5 hours per week

Reading

Reading is regarded as a keystone in the structure of learning and we place great emphasis on developing the daily habit and enjoyment of reading. Parents are asked to support this by:

reading to and with their child regularly
listening to their child read aloud
asking about and discussing what a child has read to themselves

Reading is the only activity that is set as daily homework and we expect this to be supported by parents.

Your child’s reading record will be used as evidence that they have read with you or independently at home. We also record the number of books read for our year group BOOKFLIX lists. Your child’s commitment to reading is noted within their end of year report (see below).

Other literacy related homework

Other literacy related homework will likely include reading comprehension exercises, practicing correct punctuation and extended pieces of writing.

Numeracy

Our main homework focus for parental support in mathematics is the regular practice of your child’s maths passport targets. To help parents with these we have created a web page on our school website with different links to online games that will support each targets across all our passports. When your child is ready to pass their passport, they will be invited to demonstrate their readiness to a member of the senior leadership team.

Other numeracy tasks will include consolidation of work learned in class, calculation practice, real life problems, and more formal exercises for older children, which they can do at home, involving parents/carers.

Setting of tasks

Clear instructions with examples will be given for each homework activity and a learning objective so the purpose of the task is clear. The task set will usually complement work the children have done in school. Most tasks set for homework are open ended which means all children are able to complete the task at their level. An example of an open ended task is:

Write a recount about a recent trip you’ve been on. Remember to structure your writing using who, when, where, what. (e.g. who you went with, when did you go, where did you go and what did you do).

Homework may also be set as a learning outcome:

I can write a recount using an appropriate structure (i.e. who you went with, when did you go, where did you go and what did you do) and vocabulary associated with recounts.

Setting homework in this way will allow children to work within their own ability range and also gives parents the opportunity to extend their child’s learning within a given task. While some children may produce only a basic recount, others may turn the task into a mini project with illustrations and extended pieces of writing.

Tapestry, Google Classroom and Submitting Homework

The school uses to online learning platforms, Tapestry (Rec/Y1) and Google Classroom (Y2-6) where pupils can view their upcoming homework tasks and upload their completed work. This is particularly used consistently as pupils enter KS2 with all homework tasks set in Google Classroom. This helps parents to keep track of homework tasks and enables a better level of support for pupils.

Tasks will also be given as a paper copy. Each child is given a blue homework folder (at the start of the school year) alongside a link to this homework policy.

When homework tasks are completed, this needs to be indicated within your child’s Google Classroom. Pupils then have the choice of either submitting work through their Google Classroom or bringing the paper copy in to school.

Expectations

Our expectation is that the work children do at home is of the same standard as they produce in school. For example, writing should be joined using pencil or blue or black handwriting pen (not biro) if they use a pen in school. All work must be dated. Homework will be completed on plain or lined paper within the homework files provided.

Meeting the needs of individuals

Homework activities should be differentiated to meet children’s individual needs, including any special educational needs where appropriate.

Marking homework

Homework will be marked against the learning objective and written feedback given to the children, e.g. how successful have the children been in structuring their recount using who, when, where, what. Homework that is exceptionally well completed will be rewarded with a Class Dojo. Marked work will be kept in the homework file or within Google Classroom for parents to see.

In school support

If any child does not understand a task, parents should encourage their child to ask their teacher for further guidance. There will also be a lunchtime homework club where children can go to get on with their homework which will be facilitated by a member of staff each Wednesday. This club does not replace the need to do homework at home.

The role of parents/carers in supporting pupils

Parents need to support their child with homework by providing a peaceful, suitable place (i.e. no television on in background) in which they can do it. Often, particularly with younger children, parents will need to work with their child. Parents should make it clear to pupils that they value homework, and support the school in explaining how it can help their learning.

Reporting on homework

Pupils’ end of year reports contain a judgement on homework. Judgements are:

	1	2	3	4
HOMEWORK	Concerning	Inconsistent	Generally Good	Exceptional

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the homework you child has been set then please do not hesitate to contact the class teacher or Headteacher.

Curriculum