Homework

The children at Arno Vale Junior School receive half termly homework. They will be expected to learn a set of spellings, some times tables and complete book reviews for all the texts they read. The children will be expected to be independent with these tasks and make sure they are practising the spellings and times tables regularly throughout the half term.

How you can help

• Put up the lists of spellings around the house, garden or car!
• Say the times tables out loud as many times as possible – over breakfast, before dinner or perhaps even to earn their pudding!
• Encourage reading, read yourselves, have books, comics, magazines out around the house. Even reading recipe books or instruction manuals is beneficial!
   

How your child’s teacher will help

• Teaching strategies to help learn the spellings in weekly lessons and extending their understanding.
• Teaching strategies to consolidate their learning of times tables and deepening their understanding.
• Keeping a class book containing book reviews.
• Awarding certificates for high scores in spelling tests and times tables challenges
• Awarding certificates for most improved score in spelling tests and times tables challenges
• Awarding certificates for reading widely and regularly
• Awarding tokens at the end of the year for high scores, most improved scores and reading regularly

From time to time, we may also choose to set additional tasks that we feel will support what we do in class.

There will be no sheets to hand in at a particular time and no specific homework day. A copy of each year group’s half termly homework will be on the website, so you can print it out or refer to it at any time throughout the half term.

Why the change?

main reason behind the changes is that fact that current research suggests that homework at primary school age has little impact on an individual child’s progress or learning. The best homework only takes a maximum of 10 minutes and is directly linked to the child’s learning at school. The only extended activity out of school that has a positive impact on a child’s progress is reading. Therefore, we have chosen to adapt our homework tasks to cover these very specific areas, that we feel will have the most impact in class.

From the parent forum and incidental conversations with parents, the overwhelming feeling towards homework from the parent community is negative. Many parents have commented on the struggle it is to get children motivated to do their homework, how it eats into family time and is the source of arguments and discontent.

However, we recognise that lots of children and parents like to do more at home and therefore we will also offer the children the opportunity to keep a diary of all the out of school activities they do, or special days out and put together a short presentation as a show and tell. This can be done at any time throughout the term.

As this is quite new to us all, there will be a review of how it has all gone at the end of the year, and we would of course welcome your feedback too.

Thank you for your continued support!