Homework Policy
Homework is defined as any activity that pupils undertake outside of school lesson time, either on their own or with the support of family members. At our schools, we firmly believe that that parental involvement will develop the partnership between home and school and enhance the learning of the children.
The purpose of homework:
- To inform parents about work going on in class and provide opportunities for parents to share their children’s learning
- To benefit from some one to one time
- To consolidate and reinforce skills and understanding;
- To further stimulate enthusiasm for learning;
- To use the home environment and resources;
- To foster a partnership between home and school;
- To rehearse key skills, such as times tables, spelling, reading, handwriting and other key facts;
- To help foster good habits of organisation and self-discipline in preparation for Secondary School.
Homework at our schools:
We recommend that children of all ages read at home each day. For older children this may be independent reading for some of the time, but we would also recommend reading aloud to an adult at least 3 times per week.
The following table outlines the progression in expectation for homework from Reception to Year 6. We believe that the time children spend on homework should be capped and we fully acknowledge and support the need for family/home time. We believe that homework should be enjoyable and manageable for all concerned.
Homework in Foundation Stage and Key Stage One is recommended but not compulsory.
| Year Group | Activity | Recommended Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Nursery | Listen and talk about a bedtime story | |
| Reception | Listen and talk about a bedtime story When pupils are given a reading book then daily reading to an adult. | Reading to an adult 10 minutes daily |
| Year 1 | Reading (scheme books) Spellings (From January) Task linked to topic or literacy/mathematics being studied that week | Daily – 5-10 minutes (recorded in Reading Record) Daily – 5 minutes Weekly |
| Year 2 | Reading Spellings Maths task SPAG on line Task linked to topic or literacy being studied that week | Daily - 10 minutes Daily – 5 minutes Weekly – 15 minutes Weekly - 10 minutes Alternate Weeks |
| Year 3 | Reading Spelling Maths task SPAG on line Task linked to topic or literacy being studied that week | Daily – 20 minutes Daily – 5 minutes Weekly – 15 minutes Weekly - 10 minutes Alternate Weeks |
| Year 4 | Reading Spellings Maths task Task linked to topic/literacy/ events / life skills | Daily – 20 minutes Daily – 5 minutes Weekly – 15 minutes Alternate Weeks |
| Year 5 | Reading Spellings Maths Task Literacy task Task linked to topic/literacy/ events / life skills | Daily – 20 minutes Daily – 5 – 10 minutes Weekly – 20 – 30 minutes Weekly – 15 minutes Alternate Weeks |
| Year 6 | Reading Spellings Maths Task Literacy Task Task linked to topic/literacy/ events / life | Daily - 20 minutes Daily – 5 - 10 minutes Weekly – 20 – 40 minutes Weekly – 20 – 40 minutes Alternate Weeks |
Please note that if teachers feel your child needs additional help with key skills such as handwriting or number facts etc. they may send additional help sheets for you to do with your children.
All year groups will provide a topic web, outlining the topics covered across all subjects on at the start of a new topic.
Year 6 pupils will be given homework that helps prepare them for the end of Key Stage SATs.
Holidays:
During school holidays, homework may continue to be sent by teachers but this work is non-mandatory.
Routines and Expectations:
All classes will have a regular routine for handing out and receiving homework. This will be communicated to the children and to parents at the beginning of the year.
The work will have always been explained and discussed in class before coming home. It is our intention, and good practice, not to send work home that the child cannot already do and parents are not expected to teach a new skill.
Each child has a homework book and tasks should be completed in there unless the homework has a more practical element. Work that needs marking will be returned in the book. Some tasks will involve verbal feedback or sharing in class.
What to do if you have concerns:
If you have any concerns with homework and it becomes a problem at home please speak with your child’s class teacher in the first instance.
If you still have concerns, please arrange to speak to the Headteacher.
Date of last update : Autumn 2018