Homework Guidelines

Key Stage 1

Dear Parents / Carers,

As part of our commitment to parent partnerships at Weald Community Primary School we have undertaken a review of our Homework Policy.  We would like to thank you for your suggestions and comments about homework following the Welcome Evenings, Assessment Evenings and Parent Consultations which took place earlier in the year.  You play a vital role in the learning process of your children and we value your support enormously.  Children should not be expected to spend significantly longer on homework than the guide times below and, if you have any concerns relating to this, please speak to your class teacher as soon as possible.

Reading

We cannot stress too highly the importance of regular reading at home. Reading is a necessary and, hopefully, enjoyable activity which can be shared as a family.  We welcome your comments in the Reading Record to indicate your child’s achievements.  The class teacher, and other adults, will also write comments when appropriate, for example after a Guided Reading session. Please note that only one reading book at a time will be sent home; however, reading books other than those on the scheme is highly beneficial too. We would encourage children in Key Stage 1 to spend at least 20 minutes per evening reading and talking about their book.

Writing (including spelling)

Children in Key Stage 1 will have spellings to learn each week. These will either focus on tricky words, high frequency words or those with a particular sound/spelling pattern.  There will be a weekly spelling test to check that these spellings have been learnt. We would expect children in Key Stage 1 to spend time learning their spellings at home.

Additional literacy homework can take several forms, depending upon the focus of the class. On occasions, phonic and word sheets will be sent home to support the spelling homework.  Alternatively, in Year 2, reading comprehension practice may be sent home.  Depending upon the topic focus, children may also be asked to carry out additional research, progressing to a project nearer the end of Year 2.

Maths

Numeracy homework is sent home to reinforce class learning and is differentiated according to the different needs of the children. In Year 2 the children will also begin to learn times tables more formally.  Please encourage your child to practise these by rote and out of order.  There will be a weekly times tables test to check learning. We would expect children in Key Stage 1 to spend no more than 20-30 minutes per week on maths homework.

We hope that this provides clarity regarding homework. If you have any concerns, then please do contact your class teacher.

Best Regards,

Key Stage 1 Team

Key Stage 2

Dear Parents / Carers,

As part of our commitment to parent partnerships at Weald Community Primary School, we have undertaken a review of our Homework Policy. We would like to thank you for your suggestions and comments about homework following the Welcome Evenings, Assessment Evenings and Parent Consultations which took place earlier in the year.  You play a vital role in the learning process of your children and we value your support enormously.  Children should not be expected to spend significantly longer on homework than the guide times below and, if you have any concerns relating to this, please speak to your class teacher as soon as possible.

Reading

We cannot stress enough the importance of regular reading at home. Reading is a necessary and, hopefully, enjoyable activity.  Reading Records are sent home and we welcome your comments in this book to indicate your child’s achievements and areas of concern. There are a number of suitable fiction and non-fiction books in school that the children are welcome to borrow and we would encourage all the children to belong to a local library. We would encourage children in Key Stage 2 to spend 30 minutes per evening reading.

 

Writing (including spelling)

Children in Key Stage 2 have differentiated spellings to learn each week. These will either focus on tricky words, high frequency words or words with a particular sound/spelling pattern. There is a weekly spelling test to check that these spellings have been learnt. We would expect children in Key Stage 2 to spend time learning their spellings at home.

We have a whole school approach on writing and are keen to extend writing opportunities for children at home as well. All the class topics are detailed on the school website and, if your child wishes to do any additional writing or research around their topic work, then this should be strongly encouraged.

Maths

We will be continuing to issue mental arithmetic tests to children in Key Stage 2. Children should complete one test per week as part of their maths homework. Tests are appropriate to each child’s ability and will support work done in class, as well as inform us with assessment. Times Tables are also an extremely integral part of mathematics and we would ask for children to practise these as much as possible. Weekly Times Table tests are carried out in Key Stage 2 with the focus on vocabulary and complete understanding of multiplication and the corresponding division. We would expect children in Key Stage 2 to spend no more that an hour per week on these exercises.

We hope that this provides clarity regarding homework. If you have any queries or questions; please contact your child’s class teacher.

Best Regards,

Key Stage 2 Team