Although we know that there are always differing views on homework, we believe this process is important for a child’s education, as revisiting the day’s, week's or even term's learning is what helps to reinforce their knowledge and understanding. We also know that there needs to be a staggered approach throughout each year group to prepare pupils for the homework expectations they will experience at secondary school. That said, we do know families can lead busy lives and, therefore, our approach to homework is designed to give some flexibility.

In all year groups, we expect daily reading at home. Reading books are provided by school and will be age appropriate. Our younger pupils will follow our school reading scheme as well as accompanying phonics specific books, and we also have Pearson Bug Club which is in place for the pupils to access relevant ebooks at home. As the children get older they will move beyond the reading scheme and become 'free readers', where they can choose books from our school library, class libraries or books from home. We ask that parents and pupils complete reading records to show what has been read at home.

As children progress through the school class teachers will also set regular weekly spellings and times tables as homework. These will be taught in school so that children gain an understanding of different spelling strategies or ways to remember times tables, though reinforcing these at home is also crucial to develop longer-term recall.  

In Years 1 to 6 pupils will receive homework associated with their termly theme of learning. This will be in the form of a grid of suggested activities, where pupils and parents can decide on what tasks they would like to complete each week. There will be a focus on English and Maths activities, though other subject areas will also be included, e.g. science or design technology. This flexible approach allows families to choose which activities are best suited for the time they have, for example a task of making a stone age dwelling may best be done on a weekend which is less busy!

Overall, we believe that homework can be used for whatever purpose you desire. It can either be a quiet, independent activity for your child to do at home, or it can be an activity that you do with your child, assisting them and supporting them where necessary. If your child finds some parts of the homework difficult, then they simply do as much as they can (you may wish to note down on the homework any parts they found hard).

All classes will give homework books out on a Thursday and we expect it to be handed in by the Tuesday. Work will be acknowledged and often praised, though teaching staff will not provide in depth marking, as we believe this should be reserved for class work where the teacher has been present in the lesson and can often give live feedback at the same time.