GRANGE JUNIOR SCHOOL
Home Learning Policy
Introduction
Home learning is anything children do outside the normal school day that contributes to their learning, in response to guidance from the school. Home learning encompasses a whole variety of activities instigated by teachers and parents/carers to support the children's learning. For example, parents or carers who spend time reading stories to their children before bedtime are helping with home learning.
Rationale for home learning
Home learning is a very important part of a child's education, and can add much to a child's development. The government made clear its commitment to homework in the 1997 White Paper ‘Excellence in Schools', in which homework was described as 'an essential part of good education'. We recognise that the educational experience that any school by itself can provide is limited by the time and resources available; children can therefore benefit greatly from the complementary learning that they do at home. We see home learning as an important example of cooperation between teachers and parents/carers. One of the aims of our teaching is for children to develop as independent learners and we believe that completing home learning is one of the main ways in which children can acquire the skill of independent learning.
Home learning plays a positive role in raising a child's level of attainment. However, the school also acknowledges the important role of play and free time in a child's growth and development. While home learning is important, it should not prevent children from taking part in the activities of various out-of-school clubs and of other organisations that play an important part in the lives of our pupils. The school is well aware that children spend more time at home than at school and we believe that they develop their interests and skills to the full only when parents/carers encourage them to make maximum use of the opportunities available outside school.
Aims and objectives
The aims and objectives of home learning are:
Ø to enable pupils to make maximum progress in their academic and social development;
Ø to help pupils develop the skills of an independent learner;
Ø to promote cooperation between home and school in supporting each child's learning;
Ø to enable all aspects of the curriculum to be covered in sufficient depth;
Ø to provide educational experiences not possible in school;
Ø to consolidate and reinforce the learning done in school and to allow children to practice skills taught in lessons;
Ø to help children develop good work habits for the future.
Types of home learning
Staff and pupils regard home learning as an integral part of the curriculum ~ it is planned and prepared alongside all other programmes of learning.
Staff set a variety of home learning activities. Literacy and numeracy home learning is set each week, and we expect the children to consolidate and reinforce the learning done in school through practice at home. We also set home learning as a means of helping the children to prepare for assessments, as well as to ensure that prior learning has been understood.
Pupils are encouraged to take home books and read with their parents or carers. Guidance is given to parents and carers on achieving the maximum benefit from this time spent reading with their child. We also ask pupils to learn spellings and mathematical tables as part of their home learning. Sometimes, pupils are asked to talk research a topic at home prior to studying it in school. Occasionally pupils are asked to take home work that they have started in school, when we believe that they could benefit from spending further time on it. When we ask children to study a topic, or to research a particular subject, we encourage them to use not only the school library but also the local library, as well as the Internet and CD-ROMs.
As the pupils increase in age and maturity we expect them to do more tasks independently.
Home learning is marked according to the general school marking policy. Home learning completed well is acknowledged and praised. There may be issues arising from the work, which the teacher will follow up in lesson time and the pupil will record future targets in his/her Learning Log.
We recognise that children have individual learning styles, which means that some tasks can be completed in a number of different ways, while others demand a particular approach.
Amount of home learning
As pupils move through the school the amount of home learning is increased. Our expectation is that the following amount of time is spent on home learning:
Ø Year 3 ~ 1.5 hours per week
Ø Year 4 ~ 1.5 hours per week
Ø Year 5 ~ 2 hours per week
Ø Year 6 ~ 3 hours per week
This includes time spent making sure the presentation is of a high standard and time reading and learning multiplication tables.
Pupils record home learning tasks in their Learning Logs and parents/carers can refer to current learning targets when checking home learning and record any relevant comments.
Inclusion and home learning
Home learning is set for all pupils as a normal part of school life. We ensure that all tasks set are appropriate to the ability of the child and we endeavour to adapt any task set so that all children can contribute in a positive way. When setting home learning for pupils who are named on the register of special needs it is done so with reference to the pupil's Individual Education Plans (IEPs). We value and celebrate the cultural diversity of our pupils and their families and we appreciate the enrichment that this brings.
The role of parents and carers
Parents and carers have a vital role to play in their child's education and home learning is an important part of this process. We ask parents and carers to encourage their child to complete the home learning tasks that are set and to ensure that the presentation is as good as it can be. We invite them to help their children as and when they feel it to be necessary and to provide their child with the sort of environment that allows him/her to do his/her best.
Parents and carers can support their child by:
Ø providing a good working space at home,
Ø enabling their child to visit the library regularly,
Ø by discussing the work that their child is doing.
We ask parents and carers to check the home learning sheet at least once a week and to sign it as requested.
If parents and carers have any questions about home learning, they should, in the first instance, contact the child's class teacher. If their questions are of a more general nature, they should contact the headteacher. Finally, if they wish to make a complaint about the school home learning policy, or the way in which it is implemented, parents or carers should contact the governing body.
Use of ICT
The use of ICT and the Internet has made a significant contribution to the amount of reference material available at home and the ease and speed with which it can be accessed. Staff, however, expect their pupils to produce their own work, perhaps by editing something they have found, or by expressing it in their own words. The children are not achieving anything worthwhile by merely downloading and printing out something that has been written by somebody else.
There are many websites containing highly educational material which can have a powerful effect on children's learning. Our school website provides links to the sites which will best support the children's learning. Parents or carers are advised always to supervise their child's access to the Internet.
Some of the most important educational software that we use in school can be bought by parents or carers on a home-user licence. This ensures that children are using age-appropriate software in their work at home. The school will supply interested parents or carers with details.
We discourage children from bringing computer disks into school, because of the risk of viruses. When appropriate, however, a teacher might suggest that a child's work is e-mailed to the teacher at school.
Monitoring and review
It is the responsibility of the Governing Body to agree and then monitor the school home learning policy. This is done by the Governors' School Standards and Organisation Committee that deals with curriculum issues. The Governing Body may, at any time, request from the headteacher a report on the way in which home learning is organised in the school.
This policy will be reviewed in two years, or earlier if necessary.
Year 5 (7.12.09)
