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Homework

At Telferscot we believe homework is an important link between home and school. It supports and extends the curriculum and can raise children’s achievements. 

The purpose of homework is to consolidate, reinforce and extend school learning and to develop a working partnership and dialogue between our school, parents and carers. It will also serve to encourage our pupils to learn independently and to develop confidence in their own skills and achievements. 

At Telferscot we aim to:

  • Ensure that parents are clear about what their child is expected to do
  • Ensure consistency of approach throughout the school
  • Use homework as a tool to help continue to raise standards of attainment
  • Improve the quality of the learning experience offered to pupils and to extend it beyond the classroom environment.
  • Provide opportunities for parents, children and the school to work together in partnership in relation to children’s learning.
  • Encourage pupils and their parents to share and enjoy learning experiences
  • Reinforce work covered in class by providing further opportunities for individual learning
  • To practice or consolidate basic skills and knowledge, especially in Numeracy and Literacy.
  • Encourage children to develop the responsibility, confidence and self-discipline needed to study independently.
  • To prepare Year 6 pupils for the transfer to secondary school.

Home-School Partnership

Homework is an activity that should encourage home learning to occur. At no time should it become a stressful activity that impacts negatively on family relationships. If it is the case then the school should be made aware of this fact so that we can support the family. In the upper juniors there is an expectation that homework will be completed independently and with a degree of independent organisation.

Parents can help by:

  • Supporting the school by ensuring that the child attempts the homework
  • Providing a suitable space to complete homework tasks
  • Encouraging and praising their child when homework is complete
  • Becoming actively involved in supporting homework activities
  • Communicating with the school when homework is tricky by writing in the homework book/diary
  • Encouraging learning by using holidays and weekends to extend learning with visits, trips, research etc.
  • Participating in family learning activities at school to model for their child the importance of home-school links

 

Homework Tasks

At Telferscot we have tried to do our best to have a homework policy that focuses on embedding key core skills and knowledge, specifically in Reading and Mathematics. We ask that parents and carers support and encourage their children to read every day.

In addition to this expectation, every Monday teachers allocate the following home learning on the year group Teams general channel: 

Reception – to complete at least one Bug Club book (including bugs) with parents/carers writing at least one comment per week about the Bug Club book in their Reading Records, and do a Maths activity at home.

Year 1 – to complete at least one Bug Club book (including bugs) with parents/carers writing at least one comment per week about the Bug Club book in their Reading Records, learn spellings and do a Maths activity at home. From January, Numbots will be introduced with an expectation to complete 10 minutes a week online. 

Year 2 – For children who are not confident in the Phonics programme of study, children to complete at least one Bug Club book (including bugs) with parents/carers writing at least one comment per week about the Bug Club book in their Reading Records. From the end of Autumn 1, children who have completed the Phonics programme of study, to read their physical colour-banded book, with parents/carers writing at least one comment per week in their Reading Records. In addition, all children to learn spellings and do 10 minutes of Numbots activities online.

Year 3 & 4 - Children to comment about the book they are reading twice a week in their Reading Record (in addition, a parent/carer should comment once per week in their Reading Record). This will be their colour-banded book until they are confident with lime books and then will become a 'free reader' and read their chosen book from the library. Children will also learn spellings and complete Times Tables Rockstars activities online (15 minutes' worth). 

Year 5 & 6 - Children to comment about the physical book they are reading twice a week in their Reading Record (in addition, a parent/carer should comment once per week in their Reading Record), this will be a colour-banded book or, if they are a 'free reader,' their library book. They will also  learn spellings and complete Mathletics activities online (20-30 minutes' worth). 

 

Alongside the half termly curriculum letter, teachers will share an Extended Learning Opportunities document on Teams with suggestions of extra home learning and projects linked to the topics of the term. These are not compulsory for children. Children can bring these in to be shared and celebrated with the class in the last week of each term.

 

Books

All children can borrow ‘reading for pleasure’ books from the school library in their weekly library sessions. Bug Club eBooks are allocated each week to children to read at home from Reception Autumn 2 until they are confident with the Phonics programme of study. This will be an e-book linked to the phonics sounds of the week. Printed banded books will be sent home from the end of Autumn 1 in Year 2 for those children who are confident, based on the teacher’s assessment. Children will continue through our banded book system until they are confident reading and comprehending Lime banded books. They will then use their Reading for Pleasure book that they choose from the library, or a book from home as their main reading book.

 

Further information

  • If a child regularly does not complete their homework, then they will be invited to attend an after-school homework club. This club will give the child the opportunity to complete any homework tasks, with laptops and iPads available, and they will be supported of a member of teaching staff. 
  • Homework will not be given when parents choose to take holidays during term time. If a child is absent for a period of time due to illness then the teacher will agree with the parent what should be done to ensure that the child is not disadvantaged in any way. We do discourage parents from taking holidays during term time.

 

Useful Links

Numbots

Times Tables Rock Stars 

LGFL

BBC Bitesize

Phonics Play

Mathletics

Espresso - click on 'login' at the top right hand of the page and choose 'Student' then click to 'Sign in with Microsoft, on the bottom right of the screen and enter your Teams log in details.