Primary Homework Policy
Philosophy
At Silverline, we believe homework first and foremost, needs to be purposeful. We aim to provide opportunities for students to consolidate learning to embed skills or knowledge. Alongside this, our BrainBuilder approach aims to combine creativity and purpose, providing students the opportunity to be independent with their learning.
BrainBuilder
BrainBuilder tasks are given on a Friday, and must be returned by Thursday of the following week. This allows students and families a certain amount of flexibility to fit homework around other activities. We encourage students to take responsibility for managing their time and, with support, establishing their own homework routines. We encourage students, in all areas of their learning, to understand the importance of quality over quantity and purpose over …
Bespoke homework tasks are designed by the teacher to maximize the impact on learning. This may be an opportunity to:
- practise or consolidate skills learned in class
- apply skills that have been taught
- carry out own research before or during a topic in order to develop knowledge and practise research skills
BrainBuilder tasks often have a creative element to them and are usually open ended rather than worksheet based. Pupils will be guided by their teacher on how to approach the task and ideas will be shared about how learning could be presented and shared in the BrainBuilder book.
Role of Parents
Parents are encouraged to guide students with their homework should they need it, however they should encourage the child to work independently to complete the tasks set. If parents have concerns, this should be raised with the class teacher. As part of our ‘Growth Mindset’ approach to children’s development, we encourage students to be resilient learners and understand the importance of learning from mistakes.
Special considerations
As Silverline is an inclusive school, homework tasks are differentiated to meet the needs of individual students. Tasks set through the weekly BrainBuilder, and the Target Your Maths book, will often provide an option with greater challenge and an option for those students who may need a little more support with the core teaching. Teachers may also decide, at their own discretion, that the mainstream tasks set are not suitable for individual students and they may need something more personalized. In these instances, the teacher will meet with the parents and discuss the homework approach best suited to the student.
| Subject | Frequency | Expectation | Where to complete |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maths | Weekly Monday: tasks set Friday: tasks to have been completed and returned. | One or two tasks will be set from ‘Target Your Maths’ and pages requiring completion will be written on the inside of the maths exercise book. | Use ‘Target Your Maths’ Textbook and complete the answers in maths homework exercise book in KS2. Students in KS1 may write directly into the textbook. |
| Maths – Times Tables Practice | Daily practice | ‘Times Tables Rockstars’ online subscription. | Online using individual login details – tablet, laptop or PC. |
| English (writing, grammar or reading comprehension) | Weekly Friday: tasks set Thursday: tasks to have been completed and returned. | The tasks set may be to complete pages from CPG Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar book alongside applying the focused skills in a more creative task linked to classroom topic. The CPG book will be used regularly for homework but not necessarily every week. | BrainBuilder exercise book. Write directly into the CPG Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar book (only pages that have been set). |
| Topic (Science, History, Geography and Art) | Weekly Friday: tasks set Thursday: tasks to have been completed and returned. | Subjects are taught in blocks so the topic task set will be linked to a specific subject for a number of weeks and reflect the learning that has taken place or will take place within the classroom. Additional resources may be given to the students to help them complete the task or it may be more open ended. | BrainBuilder exercise book. Some projects may be 3D models, PowerPoint presentations, a board game or a large poster therefore recording in the exercise book may not be needed. |
| Spelling | Daily practice | A spelling list will be provided for a particular spelling rule which will also be taught in class. Spelling practice will be set via ‘Spelling Shed’ for students to access online. They will be expected to practice regularly. To supplement the online practice, pupils will also be expected to complete a spelling practice task as part of their BrainBuilder. This will be set on a Friday to be returned the following Thursday*. BrainBuilder exercise book Online using individual login details – tablet, laptop or PC. | BrainBuilder exercise book Online using individual login details – tablet, laptop or PC. |
| *Students are not expected to study for spelling tests as trying to memorize a list of words has been shown to have little impact on their ability to use correct spellings in their writing. Assessment of a student’s ability to spell will be judged on their application of spelling conventions in their writing. Informal ‘quizzes’ may be used within spelling lessons to identify how well a spelling rule has been understood. |
| It is expected that students will read regularly at home and all students can borrow books from the library. |
As our approach is consistent throughout primary, the nature of homework tasks increase in complexity and expectation, as students move through the primary school.
For students in Year 1, the above will be introduced gradually through the course of the year, with appropriately pitched tasks
Marking and Feedback
We believe feedback and marking should provide constructive feedback to every child, focus on success and improvement and enable children to become reflective learners. With these principles at the forefront of our approach, homework feedback will consist of a combination of the following methods:
- Summative marking – ticks or dots, usually associated with closed tasks or exercises
- Oral Feedback – often reserved for open ended or creative tasks that may be shared with teacher and classmates
- Self marking – Success criteria, or answer sheets, shared with students who can then self mark the piece of work.
*Further details on marking and feedback are available in our ‘Marking and Feedback’ policy
