Home Learning
What is home learning? Home learning is an activity that a child is asked to complete outside of the school day, either on their own or with an adult. Home learning can range from reading a book aloud to completing a research project about a specific subject. We recognise that a child’s home is a powerful learning environment therefore we encourage the children to collaborate with their families in order to complete these activities.
We know that parental engagement raises standards of attainment and through parental involvement in their child’s learning, parents will be more able to support, broaden and deepen their child’s knowledge and understanding.
Our home learning principles:
- Home learning enables children to practise, apply and extend their skills and knowledge learned in school.
- Home learning fosters interest and excitement motivating the children to become life-long learners.
- Decision making, organisation and personal responsibility for learning are developed.
- Opportunities are provided to develop a range of skills across all areas of the curriculum in new and different contexts.
- Home learning outcomes are always valued, shared and celebrated in a variety of settings, developing a sense of pride.
- All tasks will be designed with open ended outcomes in order to promote personalised learning.
- Collaboration between children and their families is encouraged through meaningful engagement in the child’s learning.
- Partnerships are strengthened between home and school.
Quantity and frequency of home learning:
- The main focus of home learning is to help your child to read, spell, write and to become confident in maths. Home learning will follow a regular pattern each week for every year group with a focus upon basic skills.
- Specific guidance for parents about the nature and quantity of the homework can be found at the front of the homework book.
- All children are expected to read at home every day even if they are able to read independently.
- Spellings will be given out on a Monday and tested on the following Monday.
- A home learning task will be stuck into the homework book on a Friday to be returned the following Wednesday.
- On occasion the home learning task will span across more than one week. In these instances weekly tasks will be provided, working towards the whole.
- We ensure that all tasks set are appropriate to the ability of the child. For some children tasks will be adapted in order for them to complete their own home learning.
Role of the parents:
Parents and adults in the home are essential for home learning. We encourage parents to ensure that they are clear of the expectations for the home learning and when it is due. We encourage parents to share the home learning with their child and to decide upon the most appropriate way to complete it. Children benefit from a positive distraction free environment in which to work. They benefit from the ability to work together with their parents on their home learning and/or to discuss their progress. In some cases children may benefit from accessing the school home learning club. Parents can support their child with this through discussion of their progress following the session.
We encourage parents to discuss the home learning with the class teacher in order to clarify any issues relating to home learning.