APPROACH TO HOMEWORK

Dear Parents,

We have reviewed our teaching and learning practise to ensure that we are providing our pupils with a quality first education.

As part of our review we have been researching whether homework has a positive impact on outcomes for pupils. One of the most recent and ground-breaking pieces of research into classroom practise was by Professor John Hattie. The study was entitled ‘Visible Learning’ and it is the result of 15 years of research about what works best for learning in schools. In it Professor Hattie stated that;

“Homework in primary school has an effect of around zero. In high school it’s larger. Which is why we need to get it right. Not why we need to get rid of it. It’s one of those lower hanging fruit that we should be looking in our primary schools to say, “Is it really making a difference?” If you try and get rid of homework in primary schools many parents judge the quality of the school by the presence of homework. So, don’t get rid of it. Treat the zero as saying, “It’s probably not making much of a difference but let’s improve it”. Certainly I think we get over obsessed with homework. Five to ten minutes has the same effect of one hour to two hours. The best thing you can do is to reinforce something you’ve already learnt.”

We have also thought about the knowledge and skills which enable our pupils to access the whole curriculum and equip them best, ready for the next step onto High School i.e. reading, writing/spelling and arithmetic.

With this in mind we have decided to alter our homework approach to focus upon the consolidation of basic skills such as; reading, spelling/writing and arithmetic practice. The expectation is that these activities will be done daily for short amounts of time, for example, Foundation Stage (Nursery/Reception) 5 to 10 minutes; Key Stage 1 (Years 1 and 2) 15 to 20 minutes progressing to 20 to 30 minutes in Key Stage 2 (Years 3 to 6).

The homework will consist of:

• Daily reading of your child’s reading book (key words also are given out to support reading in reception and year 1) and a reading comprehension question to focus on with your child whilst they read to you.
• A mental maths sheet to practise at home.
• Weekly class spellings, followed by a test in school the next week.
• Words of the week and their meanings to introduce new vocabulary, which you can share and discuss

There will no longer be ‘set pieces’ of homework for English and mathematics sent home each week (apart from in Reception and Year 1).

Reading homework will be continuous; spellings and mental maths will be sent home weekly to practice.

Years 2 and 6 will also be given revision guides/SATs practice tasks as part of their homework.

*Class teachers may sometimes give additional homework tasks for individual pupils/groups/whole class when this will enable improved progress or address specific needs.

We know that our pupils work very hard during their day in school and many have clubs and commitments after school and at weekend. Homework which is continuous and consolidates the skills and knowledge taught in school will support their academic development alongside freeing time for their personal development.

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We also have our online learning resources free to all our children, such as Espresso, Education City, TT Rockstars, Bug Club and Purple Mash, for which all the children have passwords in their reading record books.

We hope that you will support your child in developing regular daily routines to reinforce their learning in school in key skills and develop their understanding of what they are reading. If you have any questions please speak to your class teacher.