Homework

We aim to create a positive attitude towards homework and help set good habits for secondary school. As far as possible, homework is related to class topics. This is important as it helps parents know more about what is being taught in class and support enthusiasm for learning. We try to ensure that homework is of interest to the children and matched to their ability. We ask that parents support their child with any homework that is set.

Homework tasks will be a combination of English - including grammar and punctuation, maths, reading and spelling. You can help by encouraging and supporting your child, and also providing them with a suitable working space at home. 

Your child is expected to learn to read and spell words from spelling lists for the relevant key stage. Practising spellings for just a short time each day is the most effective way to learn them; ideally, words are regularly revisited. The spelling lists are broken into the different key stages:

Reading on a daily basis is also expected. Reading aloud with an adult is important throughout their primary education. Even if your child is a fluent reader, having a discussion about the text they have read is a valuable way to help develop their reading skills.

Homework routines begin in EYFS with the expectation that children read at home each night and are also read to. There will also be simple tasks to complete at home such as learning key words and phonics.

In key stage 1 (Years 1 & 2), homework expectations will increase slightly to include a maths task and an English or topic related task. Daily reading and times table practice are expected.

As children progress into lower key stage 2 (Years 3 & 4), practising times tables is also extremely important: by the end of Year 4, children should have a rapid recall of all multiplication facts to 12 x 12 and also the division facts eg 7 × 8 = 56 and therefore  56÷7= 8. Ideally, rapid recall’ should be within around three seconds - they should not have to count through the tables facts to get there.

By the time children are in upper key stage 2 (Years 5 & 6), they should be more independent when completing their homework; however, we would always encourage support at home to continue when needed.

Importantly, homework will be tasks to consolidate their learning in class and develop their confidence in a subject area.

Homework will be uploaded onto Google Classroom and will include the use of various educational websites, such as:

We realise that circumstances will arise when children are unable to complete their homework or it becomes a negative experience for all. We would like to reassure parents not to worry about this, as we do understand. However, we do ask that any problems relating to homework are discussed with the class teacher as soon as possible, so sufficient support can be provided.