Homework Guide

At St. John’s C.E. Primary School we believe that homework has many benefits. They include:

Helping to develop an effective partnership between the school and the home
Consolidating and revising skills, knowledge and understanding particularly in Literacy and Numeracy
Helping children to become independent learners and thereby preparing them for High School.

Your role in supporting your child with their homework includes:

Providing a suitably quiet and distraction-free place for him/her to work
Being available (where possible) to help and to encourage
Showing that you value homework and support the school in explaining how it can help with your child’s learning
Praising and encouraging your child for completing homework tasks
Informing the school of problems faced when doing homework.

We recognise that most children at our school take part in after-school clubs and other after-school or weekend activities run by other organisations. We are delighted that this is the case as we feel that such activities broaden the experiences of our pupils and enrich their lives. Our homework expectations are not intended to prevent children from taking part in such activities. It is our sincere hope that time can be found for both.

The type and amount of homework

Reception

Ten minutes reading every day to start when children are judged to be ready.

Class One

Ten minutes reading every day
Spellings – to be issued when children are judged to be ready.

Class Two

Fifteen minutes reading every day
Maths – set weekly, starting after autumn half term
Spellings – set weekly.

Classes Three, Four and Five

Fifteen minutes reading every day
Maths – set weekly
Spellings – set weekly
Literacy – set weekly (Class Five only)

Class Six

Twenty minutes reading every day
Maths – set on Monday to be completed by Thursday
Spellings – set on Monday to be completed by Friday
English and Science – set weekly
Other homework is set on Friday to be completed by Tuesday.

Reading

Younger children will need to read to you while their skills develop. To enable your child to gain a ‘feel’ for a book and to engender a love of reading please help your child with words that they could not be expected to read. Feel free to read pages or passages to your child, you are modelling good practice by doing this. Please discuss what your child has read with them. This will help to develop their speaking and listening skills, which are a crucial component of the Literacy curriculum.

Many children will bring home a book from a published reading scheme (maybe Oxford Reading Tree or Collins.) In terms of plot and excitement these books are not always very interesting, they are not intended to be. Their purpose is to develop and provide opportunity to practice particular sounds and word groups. There are plenty of books in school which children read or have read to them for enjoyment and interest. I know many children are fortunate to have similar books at home.

Please do not be concerned if your child’s teacher asks you to re-read a scheme book with your child. This will happen when he/she feels that more consolidation is needed. It is also possible that children may read the words in a book accurately but not understand all that they have read. Obviously we are all striving to ensure that comprehension skills are developed as well as the accurate reading of words.

In our experience in is unhelpful and often highly misleading to make judgements on your child’s reading based on the stage they have reached on a particular reading scheme. Similarly, comparisons with other children in your child’s class based on the books they bring home are not an accurate means of gauging your own child’s ability. A chat with the teacher is always better.

We use published reading schemes to suit our teaching. We do not allow the schemes to govern our practice. Your child will be asked to choose from more that one series of books to broaden their experience of different types of writing. Children are not in a race to finish a scheme!

As children’s reading improves they will need less support from you. When the process of reading has effectively been tackled children will be able to choose from books that will hold greater interest for them. Regardless of your child’s reading ability please support us in ensuring that they read for the suggested amounts of time. We know that many children choose to read for much longer.

Spelling

Children in Years Three to Five will bring home a ‘spelling rule’ with examples of words that use that particular rule (for example words beginning in th… or ending in …ing.) We ask that children (with your help) try to find other words that use the same rule, letter or blend of letters. Please don’t find too many, ten is ideal. Your child will be tested on any words that use the rule and not merely those sent home.

Year Two children will be tested weekly on a variety of high frequency words and words with the same sound from their sessions with the Phonics group teacher.

Year Six children will be tested on a variety of words collected from Years Three – Six that appear on past SATs papers.

Maths

Maths homework will vary during the year and from year to year. Homework will often consist of a worksheet that consolidates work done during the week. All children will benefit from regular practice of number bonds (pairs of numbers which add up to 10, 20, 50, 100 etc.) and from practicing their multiplication tables. This sort of work is often most effective when done orally.

Additional homework for Year Six children

Class Six children will be asked to undertake some additional tasks to help to prepare them for the national tests that they sit in May and to mirror the homework expectations in High School.

Feedback for you, your children and teachers

Homework tasks will be written in Reading Record Books/homework folders for children in Year Two and above. The communication that currently exists between home and school through the Reading Record Book is very valuable and it is hoped it will continue. Please do not restrict your concerns to reading issues. Your comments are a source of great support for us especially when reference is made to the ease or difficulty your child experienced with a particular task and how much support you needed to give.

Work that is brought home on sheets should be signed by you on completion with any comments that you feel would be useful. These sheets will be stored in a homework folder which will be brought home each week. Children in Years Three – Six will also bring home an exercise book with their tables tests and results in.

Please feel free to contact me or any member of the teaching staff should you require clarification of any issues relating to homework. Thank you for your support!