Home Learning Expectations

Homework can improve retention and understanding. It can also improve children’s study skills and attitudes towards school. We believe that learning can take place anywhere. Homework is usually set weekly by the class teacher. Our homework focuses on English, Maths and the wider curriculum. The teacher will give verbal feedback to children who have submitted their homework on time.

We encourage children to make comments on the Google Classroom platform, for example if they have found something particularly challenging or easy. If you are having difficulty, please contact us in school as teachers may not be able to respond to a Google Classroom message in the week.

If your child cannot complete all their homework for any reason, we encourage children or parents to inform us and we will always try to help. Sometimes homework is adjusted for individual pupils. We also make it clear that children should not go beyond the recommended time limits suggested unless they want to.

We aim to keep homework fairly repetitious to build routine and we only ever set homework that is linked to current learning in the classroom. We ask that parents and carers support with any homework set and make sure that children have a suitable space to study and read. If you are having problems accessing homework or information on Google Classroom then please contact us at school.

English

Reading should be part of a child’s regular routine. Children should be reading at least five times a week with an adult, discussing the book/text together. Reading at home should be logged on your Boom Reader account. This account will stay with your child as they go through the school. Children in the Reception class will have a reading diary that staff will complete when they read with a child. Parents should also record in this diary when they read with their child at home.

Reading is a fundamental skill and children should be encouraged to read a wide range of reading material to help develop a wide and varied vocabulary. It is important to read to children as well as hear them read. There is no requirement to rush through a reading scheme or only read a reading scheme book. It is far more important that children develop a love of reading and are fully developing their comprehension skills in addition to decoding as they progress with reading.

Spellings

Children will be assigned spellings weekly on the Spelling Shed platform. They will focus on specific spelling patterns and / or phonic phases. Children will receive instant feedback and be able to see which spellings they need to focus on in the coming week.

Maths

We expect children to regularly practise maths skills. All children from Years 1 to Year 6 should be practising their multiplications on TT Rockstars regularly several times a week. TT Rockstars is showing impact at school and the children who won the multiplication challenge against other schools last year are avid participants on TT Rockstars.

Children will be assigned a task on the Deepening Understanding learning platform, once per week, to consolidate their knowledge and learning. The children will receive instant feedback and an opportunity to reflect on their answers. On occasions, children may be given additional maths to support their learning, this will be at the discretion of individual teachers.

Creative Homework (Y1-Y6)

Creative Home Learning is a grid of possible learning challenges based around a topic. Children will initially learn facts from their topic in class. During topic lessons the children will then apply their knowledge to develop their learning further across a range of subjects. These learning challenges will be a grid of practical and written challenges that encourages pupils and families to work together to learn about a specific topic linked to the creative curriculum. These challenges will be tailored to each group and their specific creative curriculum topic, for example The Vikings in Year 5 or The Great Fire of London in Year 2, and will change each half term.

Creative learning is an opportunity for children to be more creative, develop skills in a cross-curricular way and understand their topic in greater depth. There is a minimum requirement of at least six activities across a term.