At Berewood Primary School, we believe that home learning is really important and homework can support the learning process for our children. 

How long should we spend on homework?

Children should not be expected to spend significantly longer on the homework than the guide times in the Homework Timetable document below. It does not matter if activities do not take as long as the guide times as long as they are useful. We endeavour to organise homework activities so that children do not receive too much on any one night.

We cannot stress too highly the importance of regular reading at home; this should be encouraged on a daily basis particularly during holiday periods. We do see a marked dip in reading skills / attainment after school holidays. Reading is a necessary and enjoyable activity which can be shared as a family, should you need guidance on this please see your child’s teacher.

If your child is fascinated by a topic or task and requests longer to work on it, great! However, if they are finding a task too challenging and are starting to get distressed, let them stop. Sometimes coming back to it later helps, but if you feel that they have tried their hardest and are unable to make progress; just write a note to the class teacher or have a chat with them the next day at school. Children should always be encouraged to complete the homework as soon as it is set, in this way if they find part of it confusing or challenging there is still time to ask the teacher for clarification before the homework is due to be handed in.

We strongly encourage parents to get involved in supporting their child’s homework activities. As your child gets older, the amount of independence in completing tasks increases, however parents can still share finished products with their child. Feedback from parents is very important for children.

We endeavour to give feedback on homework promptly. It will let your child know how well they have done and how they can improve next time. This may not always happen through written comments from the teacher. Sometimes work will be discussed in lessons or teachers may give individual verbal feedback.

If you have any concerns about the homework your child is receiving, or you are unsure about how best you can support your child’s learning, the first point of contact must always be the class teacher.

The following website provides further support for parents.

Homework: How to help your child without too much stress - BBC Bitesize

Finally, please remember that homework should be a positive and hopefully fun learning experience to be shared by child and parent and home learning doesn't just have to consist of Maths and English work from school. It is also about spending time together as a family, enjoying different experiences and creating memories. Learning can take place EVERYWHERE. See below the activity passports for years R to 6 for a range of other ways that you can support your child at home.