As a school we appreciate how important the links between home and school are, and the need for us to work together to ensure a good education for your children.  For this reason, we believe that it is important for children to bring work and tasks home from an early age.  In this document are the aims of our policy on homework and an outline of the type of homework you can expect for your child.

• To encourage children to work independently
• To encourage children to take responsibility for their own work
• To consolidate or extend work done in class
• To help raise the standards of achievement
• To prepare children for future class/topic work as appropriate
• To accustom children to homework in preparation for later life
• To foster good links between home and school
• To help children learn to organise and plan their time

LIAISON BETWEEN HOME AND SCHOOL

We will be trying to keep you informed if your child is not doing their homework conscientiously.  Children who do not hand in their work on time may be given a short extension time, but if there is a problem in this over a period of time, the teacher will let you know the situation.  In Years 5 & 6 we will send a letter home to be signed if homework has not been handed in one week so that you are aware of the situation and would ask your support in getting the work done.  Children may be asked to complete work at lunch or playtime.  Your child will be provided with a homework book and necessary paper to do their homework.

Sometimes parents can have problems with children at home doing their homework and if this is the case, please come in and see the class teacher for advice.

WHAT ELSE SHOULD YOU KNOW ABOUT HOMEWORK?

Different teachers have different methods of testing and marking homework but there will be follow up as appropriate.  With written work, these will be marked by the child (under controlled conditions) and/or by the teacher, and a written record kept of children who have not completed their homework.

Although organization may vary from class to class children will on occasions be given several days before giving in homework so they can plan when they will do homework.

Planning, preparing and collecting in homework and following it up does take the class teacher a sizeable amount of time and in our school the teacher has little non-contact time in which to do this.  Work brought in regularly, on time, helps both the teacher and child considerably and allows the child to benefit fully.

We view homework seriously and there are times when Teaching Assistants may also be used to check and review homework return.

It is difficult to plan homework for the wide ability range in a class and sometimes to help with this, work may be grouped at different levels.  This also makes it difficult to say how long a child may need to spend on homework, but a guide is included on the enclosed tables.

Children are often motivated to do work in addition to what has been set and we would try to encourage these efforts and build on them.

HOW CAN I HELP MY CHILD?

There are many ways in which you can help your child set up good habits for the future.  Here are some guidelines.

• Show interest and support in what your child is doing.  Make sure your child knows that you value the importance of the task, however small.
• Encourage your child to plan other activities on the basis that there is homework to be done.  Discourage last minute rushes!
• Take time to test your child’s spellings and tables.  Many children find these very difficult to do without help.
• Class topics are mentioned in the class half termly information newsletter.  It can really help your child if you can talk about this and perhaps visit the library and get books on the subject.
• Encourage reading!  Junior children need to be setting aside time to read and assimilate a wide variety of books.  Your class teacher can give advice on suitable literature.  Discuss books with your child and encourage them to find out the meaning of words and use dictionaries and reference books.
• Try to provide a quiet area where your child can work without interruption.
• Give your child help and guidance if they are having difficulty and encourage him/her to see the teacher if they are not clear about something.  If possible guide rather than give direct answers.
• Check the presentation and neatness of work and encourage time on task and pride in presentation.
• Avoid battles about homework.  Seek advice from your child’s teacher to avoid little problems becoming major ones.

In Summary

We feel that homework is a valuable way of helping your child to get the most from their education, but it is vital that we have your support and back up if this is to be of benefit.  I hope we have been able to clarify the situation regarding homework in our school and that we can work together to help your child now and in the future.