PORTFIELDS PRIMARY SCHOOL

HOMEWORK POLICY

Introduction

This policy outlines the purpose, nature and management of homework in our school. This policy is a statement of the beliefs, values and aims of Portfields Primary School with regard to homework. The implementation of this policy is the responsibility of all staff.

The main purposes of homework are:

  • tostrengthen the partnership between the school and parents/carers and foster a positive channel of home-school communication
  • to help parents/carers to understand more clearly what their children are learning in school
  • to share with parents/carers the teaching approaches and methods used in school
  • to give pupils the opportunity to practise, reinforce and consolidate learning which has taken place in school, particularly in Literacy and Mathematics
  • to encourage and develop the skills and attitudes of independent learning
  • to help pupils to learn to plan the use of their time; to develop confidence and self-motivation
  • to extend learning beyond the school, utilising the home as an extension of that learning environment

The purposes and extent of homework change as pupils get older. For pupils in Foundation and Key Stage 1, developing a partnership with parents/carers and involving them actively in pupils’ learning is key. As pupils get older, homework provides an opportunity for them to develop the skills of independent learning which they will need later in life.

Implementation

The aims of implementing this policy are:

  • to ensure homework contributes to the raising of standards of attainment for the school
  • to ensure a consistent approach throughout the school
  • to encourage pupils to develop increasing independence and a sense of personal responsibility
  • to meet the individual needs of pupils
  • to make expectations about homework clear to pupils and parents/carers
  • to extend the opportunities provided for learning
  • to improve the depth of understanding and the quality of the partnership between home and school
  • to provide activities that encourage parents/carers to work with their children

RANGE OF HOMEWORK ACTIVITIES

All homework will be related in some way to learning that has or will be undertaken at school. The main focus of homework in school will be on Literacy and Mathematics with other subjects added as the school deems fit. The basic skills of Literacy and Mathematics will be developed through an emphasis of homework on reading, spelling, handwriting, writing and mathematical calculations.

Reading

The importance of reading at home cannot be over-emphasised as it has a hugely positive impact on all other subjects. Reading widely and regularly fuels children’s imaginations, develops knowledge and understanding and models sentence styles, structures, features and vocabulary choices which children can use in their own writing.

All children will be provided with a school reading book matched to their ability which can be taken home to read with a parent/carer or other adult. A Reading Log is provided for parents to sign and make comments in when they have listened to their child read. This will be monitored regularly by teaching staff.

Spelling

Spellings will be linked to common ‘keywords’ or phonics. This will include a range of both ‘exception’ words and those which follow spelling rules or patterns. As pupils progress throughout the school, they will be given additional challenging words to learn, many of which will come from the statutory spelling requirements of the National Curriculum. In addition, children may be given topic-related words as spellings to support their learning through the Cornerstones Curriculum.

Handwriting

It is important that children are able to communicate and express their thoughts and ideas clearly in writing. Pupils may therefore be asked to practise their handwriting as part of their homework. This may include basic letter formation or joining letters where appropriate to develop a neat, flowing and regular script.

Writing

Written homework tasks are set by Literacy teachers and should give children an opportunity to practise skills learnt in school. The focus for this may be sentence structure, features of different types of writing and compositional skills, etc. Written homework will also be closely linked to the Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation requirements of the National Curriculum.

Maths

The learning of key number facts (including multiplication tables) enables pupils to become more confident and competent mathematicians. Mental maths activities set for homework will give children the opportunity to practise these key skills at home on a regular basis. Maths homework further up the school may focus on a particular area of mathematics or a specific written method of calculation.

Holiday Homework

Holiday homework will usually be of a more creative nature and will complement the work that children are doing as part of the Cornerstones Curriculum.

Please see Appendix 1 for an overview of homework across the school by year group.

Timings

As a school, we recognise the importance of quality family time and the benefits of children participating in a wide range of activities outside of school. We consider that the amount of time spent on homework should not be excessive and should be proportionate to the age of the child. Homework will be set regularly so that parents/carers and pupils can organise a routine at home and pupils can develop good study habits. Homework will normally be issued on days set with the pupils at the beginning of the academic year.

Rewards and Sanctions

Homework that is completed to the best of a child’s ability and on time is acknowledged and praised in accordance with the school’s Marking and Feedback policy with a view to continuing to raise attainment. This may involve the use of pink or green highlighting to indicate areas for improvement. The expectation is that children will respond to this marking by making amendments to their work. In addition, rewards for homework will be given in line with the school’s behaviour policy. Examples of rewards include house points, personal points, stampers, stickers, smiles, merits and Star of the Week awards.

If homework is not handed in on time (without a valid written or verbal reason from the parent/carer) or the class teacher feels that there are issues with the quality or quantity of homework produced they may:

  • Contact the child’s parents/carers to discuss the matter.
  • Impose a sanction in line with the Behaviour Policy e.g. issue a yellow or red card, ask the child to complete their homework during break, lunch or Golden Time.

Homework and Special Educational Needs

Throughout the school the planning of homework tasks will take into account the needs of pupils with special educational needs. Careful planning will ensure that the level of demand is appropriate for each pupil and that guidance to parents/carers is clear. Class and/or Literacy set teachers are responsible for ensuring that the demands of homework are manageable for individual pupils.

The role of parents/carers

Parents are asked to sign a Home-School Agreement at the time of joining the school, indicating their intention to support the implementation of this Homework Policy.

The support of parents/carers is crucial to the success of homework. They can support their children by:

  • providing a suitably quiet place in which children can do their homework
  • making it clear to their children that they value homework
  • encouraging children and praising them when they have completed homework

Policy review date April 2017

PORTFIELDS PRIMARY SCHOOL

HOMEWORK POLICY – APPENDIX 1

EYFS / Reading at home as often as possible. Learning Diary homework linked to different Curriculum areas.
Year / Reading / Spellings / Literacy / Maths / Holiday homework
1 / Reading at home at least 3 times a week with a signed reading log entry. / Weekly spellings linked to phonics (either ‘keywords’ or letter patterns) given by set teacher. / Grammar / Literacy task appropriate to ability. / Maths task appropriate to ability. Ongoing focus on key mental maths facts and fluency in recall. / Creative homework linked to Cornerstones Curriculum.
2 / Reading at home at least 3 times a week with a signed reading log entry. / Weekly spellings linked to phonics or National Curriculum SPaG, given by set teacher. / Grammar / Literacy task appropriate to ability. / Maths task appropriate to ability. Ongoing focus on key mental maths facts and fluency in recall or written methods of calculation. / Creative homework linked to Cornerstones Curriculum.
3 / Reading at home at least 3 times a week with a signed reading log entry. / Weekly spellings linked to phonics, National Curriculum SPaG, given by set teacher. / Grammar / Literacy task appropriate to ability. / Maths task appropriate to ability, given by set teacher. Focus on key mental maths facts, fluency in recall or written methods of calculation. / Creative homework linked to Cornerstones Curriculum.
4 / Reading at home at least 3 times a week with a signed reading log entry. / Weekly spellings linked to phonics, National Curriculum SPaG, given by set teacher. / Grammar / Literacy task appropriate to ability. / Maths task appropriate to ability, given by set teacher. Focus on key mental maths facts, fluency in recall or written methods of calculation. / Creative homework linked to Cornerstones Curriculum.
5 / Reading at home as often as possible with a signature from the parent at least once a week. Children are encouraged to make a reflective, written comment on completion of their book. / Weekly spellings linked to phonics, National Curriculum SPaG, given by set teacher. / Grammar / Literacy task appropriate to ability, given by set teacher. / Mental maths task appropriate to ability, given by set teacher. Focus on key maths facts, fluency in recall or written methods of calculation. Written maths tasks given by set teacher to further develop a skill and/or an area of understanding. / Creative homework linked to Cornerstones Curriculum.
6 / Reading at home as often as possible with a signature from the parent at least once a week. Spring / Summer Term – additional SATs comprehension task or similar. / Weekly spellings linked to phonics, National Curriculum SPaG, given by set teacher. / Grammar / Literacy task appropriate to ability, given by set teacher. / Mental maths task appropriate to ability, given by set teacher. Focus on key maths facts, fluency in recall or written methods of calculation. Written maths tasks given by set teacher to further develop a skill and/or an area of understanding. / Creative homework linked to Cornerstones Curriculum.