Each term teachers share an overview of the planned learning and also some suggested home learning activities (preview tasks). You will find these on each class link on the subsequent pages here. These plans are also shared on our home / school platform Seesaw. https://web.seesaw.me/ If you require a log-in to join this site please contact the school and we will send a QR code for you to scan.
Homework
Homework is a contentious issue! Over various consultation exercises last session with parents, pupils and staff it became clear there are very mixed views and expectations around homework. We understand that many families dread the homework battle and struggle to fit it around clubs, activities and busy family life. Others appreciate the opportunity to see what their child is learning in school.
As part of our on-going work on Visible Learning, we have been looking at the impact of homework on learners’ progress. We have looked at research into what makes effective homework which has a real impact on learning and progress. We have considered the work of James Nottingham and John Hattie, world renowned experts on Visible Learning. They have done significant research on effect sizes and impact on learning. An effect size of 0.4 or greater has a positive impact on learning. In primary school, the effect size of homework is 0.01 (the effect size in secondary school is higher). This means that traditional homework has little to no impact on learners’ progress. However, the same research shows that by changing the type of task we ask children to prepare at home, the effect size increases to 0.9, a significant impact on learning.
This research now underpins our approach to homework, meaning that we have moved away from more ‘traditional’ exercises to a “preview approach”.
Preview
What is preview? Preview is when children are given the opportunity to prepare at home for a coming lesson or topic.
What will my child have to do? You will be notified when your child has preview homework. This may not be every week and will vary from class to class. The children will be given a subject or topic to find out some information about. They should be prepared to talk about and share their learning with their peers. There is no expectation that your child should prepare any written information, the onus is on their ability to talk about the subject.
What are the benefits? This is a more flexible approach to homework which will fit around busy family life, children’s clubs and extra curricular activities. There is reduced pressure to complete written tasks at home. If children already have some knowledge of a topic, teachers are able to provide greater challenge. Children will develop research skills and be able to talk about learning at home and at school. For some children, preview will reduce anxiety about homework.
Reading homework will continue to be given home to practise and for enjoyment of reading for all pupils at an appropriate level of challenge. Targeted activities may also be given in response to individuals requiring additional practise or consolidation. This can be at the discretion of the teacher or the request of a parent.
We understand that many parents and children like to follow up on learning which has taken place in class. To ensure this is possible we will send home an overview of what the children will be learning about in the coming weeks. This will enable you to continue to support your child’s learning at home. They will also be published on our school website. Please remember that planning is required to be flexible and therefore there may be occasions when a plan will change midway.
Our school website also contains links to online activities which support learning at home. These are grouped into curriculum levels so that you can find links for your child’s age and stage.
There are lots of activities, games and ideas to support learning online, a quick internet search will bring up hundreds of results!
If you have any questions about how to support your child’s learning, please do contact school.
