Home Learning Policy

East Wichel Community Primary School and Nursery

Home Learning Policy

 

At East Wichel Community Primary School & Nursery we value the importance of home learning, not only in assisting and consolidating pupils learning and progress but in promoting a partnership with parents.

 

The purpose of home learning:

• To consolidate and extend skills covered in class in all areas of the curriculum,
• To encourage positive learning habits at home;
• To encourage pupils to organise their time effectively and develop a sense of responsibility and ownership towards learning;
• To develop a level of independence, increasing as pupils move through the school;
• To encourage communication between home and school, helping to create a partnership;

 

What sort of activities will pupils do?

All home learning activities will be related to the work pupils are doing at school.  The main focus of home learning throughout the school will be to consolidate learning and read at every available opportunity.

 

Reading

Reading is the single most important indicator of future success in all subjects, so here at East Wichel Primary School and Nursery we are passionate about ensuring that all the children in our care are reading at age appropriate levels. This includes phonics, fluency and comprehension. In order to achieve this, as well as reading at school, it is vital that the children have the opportunity to read at home. Initially, this will involve sharing books with an adult but as your child progresses through the school they should become more and more independent. If reading at home is to be effective, it should take place regularly and become a habit for life as children find their own love for reading.

 

Reading Guidance for Early Years and Year 1

 

We ask that Adults share books with their children and have discussions surrounding the content, pictures, setting ect daily at home. We ask the children to share books at home each school day as well as once over the weekend. Each child has been given a reading colour band according to their most recent assessment. This assessment is based on their accuracy, fluency and ability to comprehend what they have read. During the earlier stages of learning to read, we encourage the children to read the same text many times until their expression, confidence and fluency develops. We ask that details of the books they have read be written in their reading diary which we will check daily in school.  Please be aware that a response is not always written in reading records due to time limitations.  We ask that children always have their readings books in school with them alongside their reading record.

 

Year 2, 3 and 4

We expect all children to read for at least 15 minutes every evening each school day, and once

at the weekend.  We ask that an entry is made in the reading record each time your child reads. We like the children to comment on what they have read; they can explain what has happened, or comment on how they feel about an event or character.  Or, they may read a word or phrase that they particularly like and think they could use in their own writing; they could jot this down in their reading record. One or two complete sentences is enough. We expect these classes to write their own entries (although this can, of course, be with the support of parents as we appreciate that recording after reading can sometimes be a chore for the younger children and can take some pleasure away from reading itself).  Reading records are checked by a Teacher every day. Please be aware that a response is not always written in reading records due to time limitations.  We ask that children always have their readings books in school with them alongside their reading record.

 

Year 5 and 6

We encourage the children to read a wide range of different texts, both fiction and nonfiction and aim to ensure that children will leave primary school fully engaged in reading habitually for pleasure and for information to assist them with their work. 

We expect all children to read for at least 20 minutes every school day, and once over the weekend.  After reading, we expect that children will write an entry (of at least 2 sentences) in response to what they have read.  In order to challenge all readers at an appropriate level, child-specific instructions may be given from time to time to support their development.  A Teacher will check the reading records daily. Please be aware that a response is not always written in reading records due to time limitations.  

 

We encourage the children to also read books from home, although we may suggest other titles if we feel more variety is needed!  We ask that the children always have a reading book in their book bag – whether it is the one that they are reading at home or one that they are going to read in school. 

 

Marking & Feedback:

Each day if children have read at home children will be rewarded with a House Point. Children’s reading diaries will be checked every morning in Early Morning task so please help remind children to have their diary open on their desk.  If children have read more than 5 times a week (including the weekend) they will be rewarded with a bonus house point on Monday. In addition, when your child reaches the following milestones, they will be rewarded with special sticker/certificates as stated below.

• I have read 20 times- Class teacher sticker
• I have read 50 times- Key stage leader sticker
• I have read 100 times- A 100 reads certificate
• I have read 150 times- A Deputy head award sticker

The children who show real commitment and read on 250 days at home a year, will each receive a special Head Teachers award, certificate and a reading ambassadors badge in our celebration assembly

We recognise, of course, that there may be occasional days, when reading at home is not possible (please just record this in record books – e.g Beavers tonight) but we urge you to try keep these to a minimum.

 

Knowledge Organisers

At East Wichel Primary School, we believe that home learning should consolidate the learning in school, as well as aid long-term retention. Our aim is to instil knowledge that we want all pupils to remember years after leaving primary school and we believe this can only be achieved through daily practice.

With this in mind, we have introduced the use of knowledge organisers, in line with what the latest research which informs us about memory and how we learn best. The system will have a significant impact in the depth of the children’s learning.

 

What is a Knowledge Organiser?

This is a sheet with key knowledge the pupils will need to help them in their learning each term. The content is limited to the most important information they need to know in all areas of the curriculum. The Knowledge organisers must be stuck into their practice books for easy access.

 

What is the Practice Book?

This book is a special space for pupils to practise what they have learnt from their knowledge organisers each day. Pupils may decide how they wish to present the information in their book, but we would like them to be as clear and creative as they can, to help them remember their learning. Some examples of recording may include: a mind-map or spidergram, recording on a table, mnemonics, highlighting some key points, drawing and labelling or just simply writing on the lines. It is important that practice books are brought into school every day as the children will be given regular short low stakes quizzes based on the information in the knowledge organisers.

 

How to use the Practice book

In order to get the best out of the knowledge organisers, it is important for your child to follow the steps below:

 

•Sit at a table in a quiet space.

•Take the time to choose a section in your knowledge organiser that you feel you should practice. Read the section carefully and really think about what it means.

•Say the information out loud to yourself a few times.

•Close your eyes and visualise the information. Say it out loud again. What can you remember?

•Check this by reading the information again. Repeat as many times as you need to.

•Turn over your knowledge organiser and then complete a written self-quiz in your practice book (please date). Write/draw all the things you can remember and/or do some examples. Be creative use colours pictures where appropriate – it will help you to remember the important bits.

•Now check your work CAREFULLY by comparing it to the information in the knowledge organiser. Check that it is factually correct; that spellings are correct and that it is your best work. Make any corrections.

 

Early Years Knowledge Organisers

The knowledge organisers for Early Years clearly states the different activities you could do with your child at home everyday. They also contain some images in order to give your child a visual understanding of the learning.

The children are expected to spend at least 10 minutes doing this everyday. As the children are still very young, they will need an adult to sit with them to complete their home-learning. Any section of the knowledge organiser may be chosen to practise each day.

 

Key Stage 1 Knowledge Organisers

The knowledge organisers in Key stage 1 contain the key learning in the different areas of the curriculum. They also contain some images in order to give your child a visual understanding of the learning. The children are expected to spend at least 10 minutes doing this everyday. Any section of the knowledge organiser may be chosen to practise each day. In order to promote independent learning, we would encourage the children to complete their home-learning with minimal adult support. Having said this, if your child is stuck or needs some help, please support them as needed.

 

Key Stage 2 Knowledge Organisers

The knowledge organisers in Key stage 2 contain the key learning in the different areas of the curriculum. The children are expected to spend at least 10 minutes doing this everyday. A timetable of the subject to practise each day is stuck in front of the children’s practice books. It is important that your child follows this timetable to ensure they are practising their learning in the different areas of the curriculum. In order to promote ownership and independent learning, children in key stage 2 must complete their home-learning independently.

Unless your child is ill, they must complete their home-learning everyday and no day should be missed. If a child has missed a day, in order for them not to miss out of that day’s learning, they will be given the opportunity to complete their home-learning at school during breaktime or lunchtime for 10 minutes.

 

Evaluating effectiveness:

The overall effectiveness of home learning across the school will be ongoing and discussed in staff and team meetings. It will take into account staff, pupil and parent feedback and be guided by known best practice and research.

 

Issues relating to home learning will be discussed with parents at the Parent Teacher Consultation.  Parents are invited to express their views about home learning in the school’s annual parent questionnaire.

Review

This policy will be reviewed every three years.

Written by: Miss Thompson (Reading Lead) and Mrs Alabi (Curriculum Team Lead)

Date reviewed: December 2019

To be reviewed:December 2022