Homework Guidance

 

Aims

• For homework tasks to support children’s core knowledge and skills
• To provide parents/carers with a greater insight into what they are learning in school
• To ensure tasks are appropriate to the age of the child; consider the time available and are not onerous (for parents/carers and for teachers, considering their workload)
• Consider the needs of individual pupils, providing differentiated tasks where appropriate
• Where appropriate, enhance the provision of homework through the use of Teams

 

Context

Remote learning provision enabled Teams to be used successfully for setting a range of tasks. We wish to build on its success but maxmise the impact that using this platform can have whilst balancing the quality of homework provision and the workload of teachers, children and parents.

In light of the changes to our curriculum, and the emphasis placed on children’s knowledge and skills through each curriculum area, we want homework tasks to support the development of each curriculum area and children’s growing knowledge.

 

Overview of changes:  Maths Fluency Tasks

Maths homework will now be based around developing children’s fluency. Tasks should be linked to the week’s learning, providing consolidation for children and an insight into learning for parents. The tasks should provide an opportunity for children to be supported and practice fluency at home so that they have rapid recall of such knowledge. These tasks should be seen as learning opportunities rather than traditional approaches to Maths homework which may have seen children completing questions etc. For example: This week, we have been learning to count back from 10 in ones. At home practise counting backwards from any number from 10.

In Years 2 onwards, as part of the fluency task, children will be expected to spend time working on their times table fluency; they should do this 3 times per week. We will suggest a range of tools which can be used to support this.

In class, teachers should aim to complete regular times table tests to ascertain children’s progress with regard to times table fluency. They may follow up with a call home/meeting with a child’s parents if a child has not secured the knowledge which they need. Teachers could encourage parents to support their child by focusing on a particular times table or specific facts in their fluency sessions at home.

 

Overview of changes:  Focused Homework Tasks

Focused homework tasks will be explicitly linked to a curriculum subject; this could be from any area of the curriculum but the task set should support children’s knowledge and skill development in this subject. Teachers will need to consider what knowledge or skill(s) is/are imperative for the next lesson or what needs to be consolidated before the next lesson in that subject. Using the unit overviews (particularly for History and Geography) will help in formulating focused tasks (see the assessment opportunities and the sticky knowledge sections which are crucial for every child to have secured.

Focused homework tasks will replace the ‘grid/menu of activities’ in Years 5 & 6. By setting one piece of focused homework per week for Years 5 & 6, the aim is to reduce the workload of setting multiple assignments and providing feedback to children wo have completed different tasks. These tasks will be set using Teams or via a homework book- forms, assignments, flip grid etc can all be used to support the setting of these tasks. Feedback can be given using Teams- praise stickers and short, pertinent comments etc. In some cases, teachers may wish to share examples of class members work with the rest of the class.

Focused homework tasks will be set in Years 2-4. However, these will still be set using the ‘grid/menu of activities’ and children will be able to complete these tasks in homework books. As with Years 5 & 6, focused tasks are there to support the learning and knowledge in particular curriculum subjects.

Recording/capturing will take various forms. In Years 2+ a book will be provided. However, focused tasks will be set using Teams for Years 5 & 6. A written outcome is not necessary for all tasks set.

In EYFS and Year 1, focused tasks will provide parents with an insight into learning at school. Techers will set a ‘Tell me…’ task which will encourage parents to ask their child about a specific aspect of learning. For example, ‘Tell me..about the school’s address.’ In Year 1, these homework tasks can also be used for children to tell parents about their story/text maps so that these become over learned and children can access this information readily in lessons.  

 

Overview of changes:  Reading

Children who have a phonics book matched to the sounds which they are secure in should read this book until they are reading every word with 100% accuracy and are able to read each work at a glance with automaticity. This means that they will not need to blend any of the sounds to read a word. It is recommended that children read this book daily.

Children in EYFS-Year 2 will also have a sharing book. This is a book which they will not be able to decode but that they can still enjoy by looking at the pictures of having it read to them by an adult. It could be a picture book or chapter book.

Children in Year 3-6 will have a reading book. They should read this on a daily basis for the amount of time specified.

 

Maths supporting material

 

Below is an overview of each year group’s homework expectation.

EYFS

	Maths Fluency Task	Focused Homework Task	Reading
Details	Maths fluency task Family Maths task	Tell me…about how you become a star learner in your class	Children will have a sharing book which they will be expected to share with an adult. Phonics reading book
Frequency	Alternate weeks	Every week	Sharing book = Daily Phonics reading book = every day until each word is read with automaticity
Format/platform	Tapestry	Tapestry	N/A
Time/duration of task	20 mins	5-10 mins	10-15 mins

 

Year 1

	Maths Fluency Task	Focused Homework Task	Reading
Details	Maths fluency task	Tell me…about the layout of the school and the places and areas within it (link to Geography work)	Children will have a sharing book which they will be expected to share with an adult.   Phonics reading book
Frequency	Every week	Every week	Sharing book = Daily Phonics reading book = every day until each word is read with automaticity
Format/platform	Homework book	Homework book	N/A
Time/duration of task	20 mins	5-10 mins	10-15 mins per day

Year 2

	Maths Fluency Task	Focused Homework Task	Reading
Details	Maths Fluency task Times table fluency task	Tasks provided at the beginning of the term in a grid which are linked to curriculum subject areas.   See example grid	Children will have a sharing book which they will be expected to share with an adult.   Phonics reading book
Frequency	Maths Fluency task = every week Times table fluency task= every week	Every week	Sharing book = Daily Phonics reading book = every day until each word is read with automaticity
Format/platform	Homework book	Homework book	N/A
Time/duration of task	Maths fluency =20 mins Times table fluency = 5-10 mins x3 per week	20 mins	10-15 mins per day

Year 3

	Maths Fluency Task	Focused Homework Task	Reading
Details	Maths Fluency task Times table fluency task	Tasks provided at the beginning of the term in a grid which are linked to curriculum subject areas.   See example grid	Children will have a reading book which they will be expected to read to/with an adult. Some children will have a phonics reading book
Frequency	Maths Fluency task = every week Times table fluency task= every week	Every week	Reading book = Daily Phonics reading book = every day until each word is read with automaticity
Format/platform	Homework book	Homework book	N/A
Time/duration of task	Maths fluency =20 mins Times table fluency = 5-10 mins x3 per week	20-30 mins	10-15 mins per day

Year 4

	Maths Fluency Task	Focused Homework Task	Reading
Details	Maths Fluency task Times table fluency task	Tasks provided at the beginning of the term in a grid which are linked to curriculum subject areas.   See example grid	Children will have a reading book which they will be expected to read to/with an adult. Some children will have a phonics reading book
Frequency	Maths Fluency task = every week Times table fluency task= every week	Every week	Reading book = Daily Phonics reading book = every day until each word is read with automaticity
Format/platform	Homework book	Homework book	N/A
Time/duration of task	Maths fluency =20 mins Times table fluency = 5-10 mins x3 per week	25-30 mins	20 mins per day

 

Year 5 & 6

	Maths Fluency Task	Focused Homework Task	Reading
Details	Maths Fluency task Times table fluency task	Tasks provided at the beginning of the term ad are linked to curriculum subject areas.	Children will have a reading book which they will be expected to read to/with an adult. Some children will have a phonics reading book
Frequency	Maths Fluency task = every week Times table fluency task= every week	Every week	Reading book = Daily Phonics reading book = every day until each word is read with automaticity
Format/platform	Homework book	Homework book	N/A
Time/duration of task	Maths fluency =20 mins Times table fluency = 5-10 mins x3 per week	30-45 mins	20 mins per day