WHY DO HOMEWORK?

Homework is an important part of a child’s education and can add much to a child’s development and attainment. Homework includes a wide range of activities set by teachers and supported by parents to improve children’s learning.  Homework at Borrow Wood focuses specifically on developing and improving key skills in reading and maths. There are also opportunities for children to learn from and use Knowledge Organisers to complete pieces of topic-based homework.
  

TYPES OF HOMEWORK

1. ENGLISH

​Reading

• Fluent reading and good comprehension skills have a key role to play in children’s learning across all areas of the curriculum. Fluency in reading is achieved through practice. Therefore, it is important that the children read outside of school at least five times a week. Reading can include a range of types of texts and media – not just their reading book.  This could be, for example, books at home, 25B books, comics, magazines, reading on tablets and Kindles.  Your child has a reading diary for you to sign to say that they have read. This is how we check their weekly reading.
• In Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1, children will also bring home sight words and phonic tasks to develop their decoding skills and sight vocabulary.

Spelling

• Spellings for each year group will be sent home at the start of each school year. Children are expected to learn these at home on a rolling cycle.  Teachers will assess spelling through daily application in their writing across all their work.

1. MATHS 

• ​Weekly Maths Skills Checks

Fluency in maths is also achieved through practice. Weekly ‘maths skills check’questions are linked to targets in the maths curriculum. Weekly practice builds speed and recall of key mathematical facts and methods.

• In the autumn term the children are expected to complete column A each week. If your child wants to challenge him/herself by answering questions in column B and C, then please encourage this.
• In the spring term the children are expected to complete column A and B each week. If your child wants to challenge him/herself by answering questions in column C, then please encourage this.
• In the summer term the children are expected to complete column A, B and C.

Prompt sheets will be sent home at the beginning of the year.  These will support the children with the weekly maths skills checks.

• Times Tables and Related Facts Knowledge 

​Children need to be able to recall all the Times Tables up to 12 X 12 by the age of 9.

When it comes to Times Tables SPEED AND ACCURACY are important.  The more facts a child remembers, the easier it is for them to complete harder calculations.  

Speed recall is achieved through practice. This includes understanding the links between multiplication and division including, related facts. E.g. 7 x 8 = 56; 56 ÷ 8 = 7; 560 ÷ 7 = 80; 70 x 80 = 5600

In Key Stage 2 all children have a Times Table Rock Star account that they can log into at home to practise all times tables.  Times Table Rock Stars is a fun and challenging programme designed to help children master the Times Tables. To log in and find out more click here.

Research shows that daily practice is the best strategy for children to learn these important number facts. Short bursts of daily practice are much more effective than spending longer amounts of time once a week.

1. KNOWLEDGE ORGANISERS AND TOPIC - BASED HOMEWORK

A knowledge organiser is a ‘go to’document that outlines key facts or core information that children need to know, understand and recall in a topic.

Knowledge Organisers will be sent home at the start of each half-term for the children to learn the key facts and core information about the topic.  

One piece of topic – based homework needs to be completed each half-term to demonstrate the child’s knowledge and understanding of the topic. This can include: art work, a model that has been designed and made, posters, a piece of writing etc  

We want to leave the decision to the children so that they can experiment with their own skills and talents to show their learning.

EXPECTATIONS

CHILDREN WITH ADDITIONAL NEEDS

We set homework for all children. Some children may receive specific homework that is differentiated to their particular need.

THE RESPONSIBILITY OF PARENTS

Parents need to:

• Support the school by ensuring that their child completes the homework.
• Provide a suitable place for the homework to be completed.
• Encourage and praise their child when they have completed their homework.
• Be actively involved and support their child with homework activities.
• Make it clear that they value homework and support the school by explaining how it can help learning.

THE RESPONSIBILITY OF TEACHERS

Teachers need to:

• Set homework in line with the policy.
• Hand it out on the agreed day of the week.
• Ensure that ALL children have handed homework in on the agreed day. 
• Go through the maths skills check with the children to address any misconceptions.
• Check reading diaries every week and follow up with parents if children are not reading outside of school.
• Reward children for completing their homework in line with the school’s reward systems.

THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE CHILD

The children need to complete the homework and hand it in on time.

HOMEWORK SYSTEMS

At the start of the school year all children will bring home Maths Prompts to support them with their ‘maths skills check’homework.

• Homework will be handed out on a Tuesday across the whole school.
• Homework will be handed in on the following Monday.
• Completion of homework will be linked to reward systems in class.
• Please note that although we will make every effort to adhere to the homework schedule, there may be occasional differences to the weekly pattern.  

NON-COMPLETION OF HOMEWORK

The expectation is that children will complete homework. However, if for any reason children are unable to complete homework parents/carers should provide the class teacher with a note or contact the class teacher explaining why the homework has not been completed on the agreed day. There may be occasions when a child will miss play or lunchtime in order to complete the homework.

MONITORING AND REVIEW

It is the responsibility of the governing body to agree and then monitor the school homework policy. Parents complete a questionnaire during the school’s OFSTED Inspection, and the governing body pays careful consideration to any concern that is raised at that time, or in between OFSTED inspections, by any parent. Our Governing Board may, at any time, request from our head teacher a report on the way homework is organised in our school.