1. Harold Wood Primary School
Working Together at
Harold Wood Primary School
‘Homework’

2. Objectives Of This Meeting
Why do homework?
How can home and school forge the best partnerships in supporting the child?
Exploring the structure of homework at Harold Wood Primary School
How to motivate your child
How to challenge your child at home.

4. Why Do Homework? Assign purposeful homework
Research provides strong evidence that, when used appropriately, homework benefits student achievement. To make sure that homework is appropriate, teachers should follow these guidelines:
Assign purposeful homework
Design homework to maximize the chances that students will complete it
Involve parents in appropriate ways
Carefully monitor the amount of homework assigned
Legitimate purposes for homework include introducing new content, practicing a skill or process that students can do independently but not fluently, elaborating on information that has been addressed in class to deepen students' knowledge, and providing opportunities for students to explore topics of their own interest. For example, ensure that homework is at the appropriate level of difficulty. Students should be able to complete homework assignments independently with relatively high success rates, but they should still find the assignments challenging enough to be interesting. (for example, as a sounding board to help students summarize what they learned from the homework) without requiring parents to act as teachers or to police students' homework completion. so that it is appropriate to students' age levels and does not take too much time away from other home activities.

5. Why Do Homework?
The number of parents who felt the amount of homework their children received was about right fell 10% to 60% whilst the number feeling it was of the right level and they had sufficient time to complete it increased to between 75 and 80%. However, < 60% still felt it helped their child progress in their learning. The majority of negative comments related to the alleged erratic nature of literacy homework in some years and the open-endedness of learning logs.
Views on learning logs remained divided and consistent with last year’s feedback with 56% of respondents feeling that these helped their children in their learning.
Homework is recognised nationally as an area where it is difficult to meet everyone’s needs and the results obtained showed a “bell-shaped” curve in all areas suggesting that the school is broadly meeting the needs of the majority.

6. Why Do Homework?
Parental involvement in children’s education from an early age has a significant effect on 􀀀 educational achievement, and continues to do so into adolescence and adulthood.1
The quality and content of fathers’ involvement matter more for children’s outcomes than the 􀀀 quantity of time fathers spend with their children.2
Family learning can also provide a range of benefits for parents and children including 􀀀 improvements in reading, writing and numeracy as well as greater parental confidence in
helping their child at home.3
The attitudes and aspirations of parents and of children themselves predict later educational 􀀀 achievement. International evidence suggests that parents with high aspirations are also
more involved in their children’s education.4
In 2007, around half of parents surveyed said that they felt very involved in their child’s school 􀀀 life. Two thirds of parents said that they would like to get more involved in their child’s school
life (with work commitments being a commonly cited barrier to greater involvement).5
Levels of parental involvement vary among parents, for example, mothers, parents of young 􀀀 children, Black/Black British parents, parents of children with a statement of Special
Educational Needs are all more likely than average to be very involved in their child’s
education

7. Why Do Homework?
Parental involvement in children’s education from an early age has a significant effect on educational achievement, and continues to do so into adolescence and adulthood.
The attitudes and aspirations of parents and of children themselves predict later educational achievement. International evidence suggests that parents with high aspirations are also more involved in their children’s education.
Parental involvement in children’s education from an early age has a significant effect on 􀀀 educational achievement, and continues to do so into adolescence and adulthood.1
The quality and content of fathers’ involvement matter more for children’s outcomes than the 􀀀 quantity of time fathers spend with their children.2
Family learning can also provide a range of benefits for parents and children including 􀀀 improvements in reading, writing and numeracy as well as greater parental confidence in
helping their child at home.3
The attitudes and aspirations of parents and of children themselves predict later educational 􀀀 achievement. International evidence suggests that parents with high aspirations are also
more involved in their children’s education.4
In 2007, around half of parents surveyed said that they felt very involved in their child’s school 􀀀 life. Two thirds of parents said that they would like to get more involved in their child’s school
life (with work commitments being a commonly cited barrier to greater involvement).5
Levels of parental involvement vary among parents, for example, mothers, parents of young 􀀀 children, Black/Black British parents, parents of children with a statement of Special
Educational Needs are all more likely than average to be very involved in their child’s
education

8. Why Do WE Do Homework?
To reinforce learning, develop skills and increase self confidence/self esteem
To give parents an opportunity to engage with their child’s learning, provide support and have realistic and ambitious expectations
To encourage children to become independent learners for life
Parental involvement in children’s education from an early age has a significant effect on 􀀀 educational achievement, and continues to do so into adolescence and adulthood.1
The quality and content of fathers’ involvement matter more for children’s outcomes than the 􀀀 quantity of time fathers spend with their children.2
Family learning can also provide a range of benefits for parents and children including 􀀀 improvements in reading, writing and numeracy as well as greater parental confidence in
helping their child at home.3
The attitudes and aspirations of parents and of children themselves predict later educational 􀀀 achievement. International evidence suggests that parents with high aspirations are also
more involved in their children’s education.4
In 2007, around half of parents surveyed said that they felt very involved in their child’s school 􀀀 life. Two thirds of parents said that they would like to get more involved in their child’s school
life (with work commitments being a commonly cited barrier to greater involvement).5
Levels of parental involvement vary among parents, for example, mothers, parents of young 􀀀 children, Black/Black British parents, parents of children with a statement of Special
Educational Needs are all more likely than average to be very involved in their child’s
education

9. The Structure Of Homework at Harold Wood Primary School What do we do and why

10. Homework Leaflets Clearly show the expectations for each Year Group.
Provides an overview across the school.
Offers extended activities.
Provides support.

11. Reading at Home – Key Stage 1 (Years 1 and 2)
In Key Stage 1 we would like you to try and hear your child read for minutes each evening.
Spend time discussing what your child has read.
Try not to focus just on reading the words correctly and instead ask questions about characters’ feelings
Ask your child to make predictions, discuss the author’s choice of words etc.
Once a child is able to decode many words it can be tempting to think that they are able to read and should therefore be accelerated through the school reading scheme. However there is a transitional period when children move from ‘learning to read’ to ‘reading to learn.’
It is vital that we allow children to develop through this phase and do not push them to simply decode harder and harder prints without ever really understanding what they are reading as this can lead to children developing into reluctant readers.

12. Some Example Questions
During the reading of the book:
• Tell me what is happening in the pictures.
• What has happened so far? Is it what you expected to happen?
• What might happen next? How do you think the story might end?
What sort of character is….? Is he/she friendly/ mean/nice…?
At the end of the book:
• What was the most interesting/ exciting part of the book? Can you find it?
• What sort of character is….?
• Why did that character do … ? (give a situation/ event from the story)
• Who are the main characters in the story? What character would you like to be?
• Did you like this book? Why? (Encourage children to develop their opinion about books by encouraging them to explain their reasons)

13. Reading to Your Child
Children need to be exposed to as many different genres of text as possible. Please read the following types of texts as much as you can in addition to the school reading scheme.
Library books
Non-fiction books
Poems
Newspapers
Comics
Picture books
It is also very beneficial if you read to your child, perhaps at bedtime, as this allows them to access texts that they would not be able to read alone.

14. Reading Diaries
Please use the diary to record all reading that your child undertakes, including reading library books, poems, comics etc.
Please try and write a comment about what you have discussed with your child so that the teacher can build upon this.
Please sign your child’s diary when they have read to you, we are finding some children signing themselves and then do not know whether they have read to an adult or not.

15. Phonics Reception and Key Stage 1
We follow the Government scheme ‘Letters and Sounds’
Children pass through six phases of teaching
They learn the full range of common letter/sound correspondences
They are taught to hear the separate sounds within words
When ready children will begin blending sounds together

16. Phonic Homework (Years 1 and 2)
Each week the children are given spellings based upon the sounds that they have been learning in their phonics group
Encourage your child to tell you about the sounds they have been learning and to look for them in their own reading experiences (road signs, shopping lists, library books)

17. Mathletics Homework The aims:
For the children to feel more confident with their Maths ability in solving problems
To be able to consolidate their Maths strategies and identify any gaps in learning
To become more familiar with the test questions and conditions
For parents to be able to ‘engage’ with their child’s maths learning

18. Motivating Your Child
Tired of arguing, nagging and struggling with your child to get them to do homework?
New structure provides opportunity for creation, discussion, visits and working together at home.

19. Tips for Assisting with Homework
Eliminate the word homework from your vocabulary. Replace it with the word study.
Have a study time instead of a homework time. Have a study table instead of a homework table. This word change alone will go a long way towards changing their attitudes towards home learning. Being able to study is a life long skill and is particularly important as your child gets older.

20. Tips for Assisting with Homework
Establish a study routine. This needs to be the same time every day.
Let your children have some input on when study time occurs. They could choose to do study time before or after dinner. They could do it immediately after they get home or wake up early in the morning to do it. Invite them to choose the kitchen table or a spot in their own room. One choice children do not have is whether or not to study. Once the time is set, stick to that schedule. Children thrive on structure and routine even as they protest. It may take several weeks for the routine to become a habit. Persist. By having a regular study time you are demonstrating that you value education.

21. Tips for Assisting with Homework
Be realistic about the length of study time.
According to child development specialists, a child's attention span is usually about five minutes per year of age. Keep in mind that your child has just spent six hours in school, probably sitting still for most of those hours. If your child needs a longer study session, make sure they have a break!

22. Tips for Assisting with Homework
Keep the routine predictable and simple.
One possibility includes a five minute warning that study time is approaching, bringing their current activity to an end, clearing the study table, emptying their book bag, showing you what they have to do and then beginning.

23. Tips for Assisting with Homework
Help without over-functioning. Only help if your child asks for it. Do not do problems or projects for children.
When your child says, "I can't do it, " suggest they act as if they can. Tell them to pretend they do know and see what happens. Then leave the immediate area and let them see if they can handle it from there. If they keep telling you they don't know how and you decide to offer help, concentrate more on asking than on telling.
Ask:
"What do you get?" "What parts do you understand?" "Can you give me an example?" "What do you think the answer is?" "How could you find out?“
“What equipment could help you?

24. Tips for Assisting with Homework
Turn your child's activity into a game.
For example, if your child has 24 word problems to complete, find four dice and play a game. Roll the dice and whichever number comes up, that is the number problem that they complete. Or, use a stopwatch and time them as they write some of their spelling words. Add one second for each misspelled word. Keep a record of their times and see if they can beat their best time.

25. Tips for Assisting with Homework
Always praise the process of learning, not the end result.

26. ‘As Educators we have a huge responsibility to support our students in developing a growth mindset which engenders a lifelong love of learning, not a short-term obsession with performance.’
Carol Dweck

27. Creative Thinking generating questions, ideas and outcomes
using imagination
being original
experimenting with alternatives
expanding on what you know or say
Fisher R. (in press), ‘Expanding Minds: Developing Creativity in Young Learners ', CATS: The IATEFL Young Learners SIG journal. Spring 2006
exercising your judgement

28. Additional Help/Reading

29. Additional Help/Reading
A full list of websites can be seen in the Homework Guides although there are also some excellent resources available through our school website.
Children – Kid’s Zone

30. Thank you all for attending our evening and supporting learning at Harold Wood Primary School.