Why home learning?
The quality of children's learning can be enhanced, and their achievement raised, when parents and teachers work in close partnership. Work taken home from school on a regular basis is an important means of encouraging and developing this partnership, for the benefit of the individual child.
- To reinforce, and at times to extend, work covered in class, particularly literacy and numeracy.
- To encourage children to become independent and well-organised.
- To help children begin to take responsibility for their learning.
- To keep parents informed, and to encourage them to support the ongoing work of the classroom.
- To encourage parents to become active partners with the school in raising the standards of achievement of their children.
- To begin to prepare children for secondary school.
- To make use of resources for learning available at home.
- Regular Reading: practice makes perfect!
- Phonics (Reception, Y1 mainly): little and often really helps
- Times tables/other mental maths (eg number bonds)
- Maths tasks relating to/ reinforcing classwork
These are set regularly by the class teacher
Topic work: more fun than fundamental!
In Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 at the start of each term, children will receive a list of homework activities linked to their current topic. The list will include a range of tasks involving the use of different skills such as Literacy, Numeracy, Art, Design Technology and Science.
In Key Stage 1, topic homework is optional but it is hoped that parents will want to share some of the activities with their children.
In Key Stage 2, children will be able to choose 3 or 4 of the activities to complete each term. Having choice over the task will help to motivate the children to complete their homework and to develop independent learning skills. ICT is likely to feature quite highly - provision will be made in school for children who do not have access to computers at home.