Homework

It is our practice here in St. Joseph’s School to set homework and homework tasks for all children from Reception up to Year 6.
The amount of homework and the time-span expected to complete it varies according to the age of the pupil. Homework for all children will often be differentiated to take account of their individual needs.

The Purpose of Homework
We set homework for the children:
- to encourage pupils to develop the skills, confidence and motivation to study effectively on their own

- to consolidate and reinforce the skills and understanding developed at school (particularly literacy and numeracy)

- to extend to school learning, for example through additional reading

- to develop and sustain the involvement of parents in the management of pupils’ learning, and keep them informed about the work pupils are doing

- to exploit resources for learning, of all kinds, at home.
We hope that our homework policy will develop a partnership with parents and involve them actively in the children’s learning.
As children get older the main purpose will increasingly become for them to develop the skills of independent learning.

Practical Advice for Parents
We offer the following advice for parents in the hope that it will be of benefit in helping the children with their homework.

Early Years and Reception
- Lots of everyday activities don’t seem like homework! Ask your child’s teacher about practical counting maths activities you can do at home, when cooking, for example.

- A little quality time is better than a long slog. Stop if your child loses interest.

- Make homework time a time that suits the whole family. For this short time you need to give your child your full attention.

- Count everything! Number activities are all around us! Ask, ‘How many people can you see?’, ‘Let’s count the squares’, etc...

- Read a story and ask your child to retell it to you. Ask them about the story; ‘Why do you think he did that?’, ‘Where did they find the bears?’.

- Tell nursery rhymes. These help your child to hear sounds and patterns in language and will support him/her in learning to read.

- Point out signs, labels and notices all around. This will show your child that reading is about making meaning.

Key Stage 1 & 2
Agree a time frame for homework, and work within it. Adapt this time frame occasionally if necessary, but if your child frequently runs out of time, it may be that there is too much homework being set or that the work is too hard. Inform your child’s teacher.

- Before starting, check that your child is clear about the task in hand and has the relevant materials and resources. Seek further clarification from school if your child doesn’t really understand the task.

- Homework is impossible if your child’s favourite TV show is on! Negotiate an appropriate time that suits everyone concerned.

- Some gentle persuasion may be required to get the homework session underway! It will help if the above points have been dealt with.

- It is tempting to do the work for your child if he/she is finding it difficult. Resist the temptation! The class teacher will think the child has mastered the skill and will give harder work next time!

- It is easier to stop if your child becomes distressed than to insist that the task is completed. There may be a problem to address. Inform your child’s teacher.

- Provide a reasonably peaceful, suitable place for homework, with supervision if deemed necessary.

- Make it clear to children that you value homework and support the school in explaining how it can help them make progress.

- Give praise for the successful completion of homework

- Expect deadlines to be met and ensure that they are

- Please promote a care of books and equipment

- Inform the class teacher by writing a brief note in their homework diary or reading record book or by letter about any problems experienced.

The Type of Homework
The main focus of homework will be on numeracy and literacy with other subjects being added as the children progress further up the school. In addition to these regular written tasks for numeracy and literacy, the older children will be given homework which requires them to find out information or prepare an oral presentation.
The majority of set homework is due in to the class teacher ON THE FOLLOWING DAY. For some subjects, such as French or Science, children will have longer time to complete the task. The children will be aware of these exceptions.

After your child has been in a new class for a little while you will begin to see a pattern of homework appearing. For example, spellings will be given on the same day in the week for the test on another set day.

In the vast majority of cases, the teacher will have spent time in the classroom explaining what is to be done and giving all the class the opportunity to ask about anything they are unsure of.

Homework will not be something completely new to the children, but a reinforcement of work already covered in class.

Homework and After School Care
With our After School Care we are conscious that many of the children are not leaving the school premises until 5.30 or 6.00pm. Rather than get home and then start their homework, children from Year 2 to Year 6 will complete it under the supervision of the after school staff.

The Amount of Homework
The approximate amount of time spent on homework will be:

- Reception: 10 minutes for story time and 10 minutes for other learning activities when they are set.

- Year 1 & Year 2: 20 minutes for homework activities and 20 minutes for reading and discussion of the story.

- Year 3 & Year 4: 30 minutes for homework activities and 20 minutes for reading.

- Year 5 & Year 6: 45 minutes for homework activities and 20 minutes for reading.

All homework tasks will be marked/graded and discussed with the children. Where a class teacher feels a pupil is not submitting homework of an acceptable nature the following procedures will be followed:

- The matter will be discussed with the pupil to ascertain where the problem lies. A short period of time will be given for homework to show an improvement.

- If there is no improvement a note will be sent to parents informing them of the problem and asking for assistance in dealing with the problem.

- If there is still no improvement the Headteacher will request a meeting with the parents to try and resolve the issue.