Homework

What is Homework?

We define homework as any activity that pupils undertake outside of school lesson time, either on their own or with the support of family members. At Bellfield Primary we have a strong commitment to parental involvement and see homework as one way of developing a strong partnership.

Although non-statutory, Bellfield chooses to set homework and there is reference made to the setting of homework in the Ofsted Inspection Framework.

Why give homework?

Homework is a hotly-debated subject and there are many different views about the contribution it makes to a pupils’ overall learning. We provide homework because we believe:

• It can inform parents about work that is going in in class;

• It can further stimulate enthusiasm for learning;

• It takes advantage of the home environment and resources, and it provides the opportunity for some one-to-one adult time;

• It can be a great source for gathering topic information to share with other pupils;

• It is a great opportunity to rehearse key skill such as times tables, spellings, reading and other key areas;

• It helps to foster good habits and prepares pupils for the demands of Secondary School.

Homework at our school

Whilst we support all of the above key principles, we do not want homework to dominate home and school life. We accept that not every activity will capture children’s and parents’ imagination and that weekends and evenings can sometimes be extremely busy. We believe that homework should be enjoyable and manageable for all concerned and that if it becomes a chore/burden/source of conflict, it ceases to be a constructive aspect of teaching and learning.

We do not specify amounts of time that should be spent on a task/activity, preferring individual children and families to set their own routines. Class teachers are always willing to provide advice and support with this.

We hope children are motivated by positive incentives and by the tasks/activities themselves; children are not punished if they fail to complete the work.

We have obtained the views of all stakeholders with regards to the type of homework we set.

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