Stanley Road Primary School

Homework Policy

January 2015

(to be reviewed Jan 2016)

Aims

At Stanley Road we aim to create an approach to homework that enables children to reinforce their classroom learning at home and give parents the opportunity to help their child to make improved progress in their learning. In doing this we also strive to ensure that homework does not place onerous demands on children and their parents and we recognise that children should be able to take part in other after school activities in order to develop fully in their own areas of interest.

Statutory Requirements

There are currently no statutory requirements for the amount of homework that should be set in primary schools.

Guidelines

Early Years - Children in Nursery and Reception are expected to have regular experience of sharing and enjoying books with family members, practical maths activities in the home, and developing their language skills through talking about practical experiences they have had. These practical experiences might include –

• Measuring ingredients while cooking • Visiting family members • Looking at labels and prices at the shops • Going to the park • Choosing books at a local library

Teachers in Early Years meet with parents to suggest relevant learning activities for their children.

KS1 - Children in KS1 are expected to complete the following each week –

Spelling words to be practised and learnt (approx. 20 minutes)

Reading at least one book per week at home (approx. 40 minutes a week)

A piece of written or oral maths homework (approx. 20 minutes)

KS2 - Children in KS2 are expected to complete the following -

A piece of ‘Brain Builders’ homework (approx. 40 - 60 minutes every two weeks)

Reading at least one book from the reading scheme a week (for those children who are fluent this should be a book of their choice) (approx. one hour over the week)

Spellings to be learnt (approx. 20 minutes per week)

A piece of maths homework (approx. 30 minutes per week)

Brain Builders Homework

In Key Stage 2, children complete a piece of Brain Builders homework every two weeks. This takes the form of an open-ended question which can be answered in whichever way the children decide. The questions can be derived from any area of the curriculum being taught. For example, in responding to the homework question ‘ How can we stop bullying?’ children could write a poem, draw or paint a picture, create a quiz, record a short video, write a story, interview people or write a song. The idea is that children will respond creatively based on their own ideas for the question. This homework is brought to class at a specific time to be shown in a ‘Brain Builders Gallery’ lesson. In this session children put their completed homework on their desks and the class walk around the room as if at an art gallery. They look at each piece of homework and identify good ideas and excellent effort. The teacher then leads the class in a celebration and analysis of which pieces of homework were successful and the reasons why. Children understand that this should be their own work and should show what they know and understand about a topic. They know that copying and pasting text from other sources is not accepted.

Examples of brain builder questions

Maths – What do you know about 2D shapes? How do you multiply large numbers?

English – Who is your favourite author? How do you write a newsreport?

Science – What is a food chain? Which animals could you find in Oldham?

Geography – What is Spain like? How could you improve your local area?

History – Who was Henry VIII? Why do people remember Guy Fawkes?

PSHE – What makes you special? How can we stop bullying?

Additional Homework Guidance

In addition to this teachers may give out more personalised homework to support children with their specific targets and gaps in learning. This additional homework should be brief and highly focused.

If children are taken out of school for extended periods teachers will provide the relevant homework that would take place over that period of time. It is not expected that teachers will prepare other work for pupils to take with them.

We acknowledge that different families have access to different resources at home to support them with their homework. Any homework set should be flexible to accommodate children with different resources at home. Any specific resources needed for homework will be provided by teachers or access to these resources will be given in school. For example, if children are asked to research a historical event

they will be given information to read at home or be allowed to access the internet in school for this purpose. Teachers do not expect children to have access to the internet or resources such as art and craft materials.

Children who do not return homework on time are given the opportunity to complete the work during the school day with access to the resources they need. If children repeatedly forget to bring in their homework then teachers will arrange a meeting with parents or carers to discuss the matter.

Where possible teachers will always give at least a weekend for children to complete any significant pieces of homework.

The Use of ICT

We encourage the use of ICT to complete homework where it is appropriate. Children can use our VLE to email homework to teachers if they are able to do so. We also encourage children to access home learning resources such as Mathletics, Reading Eggs, Purple Mash, BBC Revise Wise and other websites when they have the opportunity. Children are able to print their homework in school if needed under supervision of a member of staff.

Inclusion

All homework given is differentiated to meet the needs of the pupils. Teachers ensure that children have the skills and support to complete any homework given. If children struggle with homework we encourage them to bring their work in to school and the teacher will find time to help them to understand the task. Parents are welcome to talk to teachers at the end of the day about any issues regarding homework. Homework tasks will always have clear instructions to help parents understand the purpose of the work. For example, in maths, examples of the methods that children use will be shared with parents to help them understand the correct strategy for the task.

Equal Opportunities

All children are provided with equal access to homework. We provide suitable homework opportunities regardless of gender, disability, ethnicity and socio-economic background.