Policy for Homework

• At Prestbury St Mary’s Junior School we believe that homework:
• helps to develop an effective partnership between the school and parents and other carers in pursuing the aims of the schoo 
• consolidates and reinforces skills and understanding in many subject areas
• provides opportunities to use learning resources at home that may not be available at school
• extends coverage of the curriculum by consolidating and extending the learning that takes place during the planned day, allowing preparation for future class work and where appropriate gives opportunities for assessment of progress and mastery of work
• encourages pupils as they get older to develop the confidence and self discipline needed to study away from school, and to prepare them for the requirements of secondary school and life long learning by encouraging self motivation and an ability to organise learning time
• creates channels for home/school dialogue (diaries, reading records) and encourages parental co-operation and support

Through the implementation of this policy we aim to:

• promote learning positively
• ensure that parents and other carers have a clear understanding about expectations
• raise standards and ensure the needs of individual pupils are taken into account
•  make provision to extend the more able

• to ensure progression towards independence and individual responsibility

• to provide opportunities for parents and pupils to work in partnership and enjoy learning experiences
  

Amount of homework

At the beginning of the Autumn, Spring and Summer terms, parents or carers will receive a Home/School communication letter from their child’s class teacher. This will inform them of curriculum topics which are to be covered in school and also homework requirements.

The precise amount of time spent on homework is much less important than the quality of the tasks done. At Prestbury St Mary’s Junior School we recognise that children have worked hard during the day and should have time to pursue other hobbies as well as complete school based tasks. For this reason, specific tasks will be allocated several days before they are required to be given in for example from Friday to Friday. This allows for a degree of flexibility as to when tasks are completed. Project based homework will be given clear deadlines, with weekly opportunities to review progress.

We also recognise that at certain times of the year extra work at home besides the basics of reading, learning spellings and tables, is not appropriate. For this reason no homework will be given during the second half of the Summer term in order to allow the children to make the most of the lighter evenings.

Daily reading to and with parents or carers is vital. Children at Prestbury St Mary’s Junior School are encouraged to read as frequently as possible to an adult and at least three times each week. This is recorded in the home/school reading record. Teachers regularly monitor the reading that is being done and future targets are set when appropriate. It is stressed in the reading record that a variety of reading material is essential and examples are given.

Prestbury St Mary’s Junior School’s recommended time allocation for weekly homework activities.

In addition to the weekly homework requirements, children in each year group have the opportunity to work on an optional homework project.  Based on a topic being focused on in class, often in history or geography, these projects extend learning skills, particularly on the areas of research, organisation and presentation. Pupils wishing to work on a complete one of these projects will receive information and guidelines on what to do from their class teacher.

Staff at Prestbury St. Mary’s support this policy by:

• providing a range of homework tasks and activities to consolidate and extend learning in class
• ensuring that the children have a clear understanding of the homework and what is expected of them
• communicating with parents and keeping them informed of children's progress
• marking homework promptly and providing feedback to support the learning process
  

How parents can help to support children:

• hear their child read as often as possible and at least three times each week and completing the Reading Record
• practise times table facts and spellings with their child

• provide somewhere peaceful for their child to work
• provide encouragement and support to their child when they require it
• support the school in explaining to their child that homework is valued and aids learning
• encourage and praise them when homework is completed
• be actively involved in the homework and  help them when appropriate, but not do their homework for them
• try to provide some basic resources such as pens, pencils, calculators and dictionaries

Pupils are expected to:

• make full use of all the opportunities they are presented with
• tackle home tasks promptly and with a positive attitude
• take pride in presentation and content, acknowledging the high personal standard expected
• ask for help if they are unsure
• be organised so that necessary books and equipment are not left at school or at home
• take responsibility for handing in the completed task on the agreed day

Inclusion

Whenever possible, children who have Special Educational Needs will be given similar homework to the rest of their year group. However, they may also have separate tasks in order to address specific learning difficulties. This will be monitored by the class teacher and the Inclusion Co-ordinator (INCO). A Homework club takes place every each week to ensure children have the opportunity to work in school if they are unable to complete homework at home.

Equal Opportunities

Appropriate opportunities to do homework are made available to those children unable to complete homework at home for a specific reason.

Evaluation and review
The Headteacher and Senior Management Team will monitor the efficiency and effectiveness of the homework policy by checking a sample of homework assignments on a regular basis.
The key criterion used to assess its effectiveness will be the extent to which the policy is contributing to the progress pupils make at school and their attitude to learning.