Homework
We consider homework to be an important part of school life. It consolidates and strengthens knowledge and skills; it also develops self-discipline, fosters independence and encourages good learning habits. We expect the children to engage with and complete the homework set and we expect parents to support their children and school with this.
Research tells us that children who read regularly for pleasure are more likely to do well in school, have better mental health and have better life chances as adults. We therefore have high expectations around reading. We expect the children to read with, or to, an adult every day, but an absolute minimum of 3 times a week. When children begin reading independently they will be assigned a login to Accelerated Reader. The children read a book, appropriate for their ability and then log on to Accelerated Reader to take a quiz based on the book they have read.
Other homework activities usually include practicing number facts such as timetables, or grammar, punctuation and spelling activities – these activities can be accessed online.
Homework is set on a Friday and should be completed by the following Wednesday.
We have a range of collaborative resources that are accessible outside of school, so that you can actively engage in the success of your child:
Class Dojo
Class Dojo is the app we use to manage our house point system; it is also a secure, invite-only, social media platform for school. When your child starts school, you will be asked to download the app and you will be linked to your child via Class Dojo. When a child receives a Dojo house point, in recognition for their efforts, parents/carers are notified. Each child has a portfolio where snippets of learning can be celebrated and we encourage families to contribute to this too! Alongside this, parents/carers and staff can communicate via messages. Each class has a class story where we post class updates and school story is where we share information about upcoming events.
Maths.co.uk & SPAG.com
The children will receive logins for both of these websites. The teachers often set a range of questions on a particular topic and the children login and complete them as homework – this is usually linked to learning that is happening in the classroom.
TT Rockstars
Times Tables Rock Stars is a maths programme that takes all the worry out of learning times tables and has a proven track record of boosting children’s fluency and recall in multiplication and division. Teachers set the children tasks or challenges to complete and the children can also engage in class, school and international competitions and events.
Sound Books, Words Boxes & Phonics Reading Books
It is important that children who are learning phonics get plenty of practise with recognising and recalling sounds, blending words and reading books aligned to their phonics scheme. Children start with sound books in reception and eventually they move on to word boxes and reading books. The children bring these home everyday, so that they can practise their skills and knowledge at home.
Accelerated Reader
Once children are fluent readers, they move onto Accelerated Reader. We use this as a handy way to monitor independent reading. After reading a book, children complete a quiz to check their understanding. This software can calculate on average how many minutes per day a child is reading. In key stage 1, we expect children to read at least 15 minutes per day, Year 3 & 4 20 minutes per day and Y5 & 6 25 minutes per day. Parents can log in to Accelerated Reader to check on the progress of their child, including how many books they have read, the average number of minutes they read each day and how their reading level is progressing. The children love taking quizzes and we often host house team reading competitions.
