A strategic approach to homework
Valuing the role of parents in homework
Whilst the Government's Homework Guidelines do not apply to nursery-aged pupils, the headteacher
believes that the vast majority of the parents and carers try to support their children's learning
at home. However, some are more effective than others, depending on their awareness of, and confidence
they have in, their own abilities as educators of their children, and the aspirations they hold
for them.
The head also points out that whilst the school's contribution is invaluable, it is limited to only
two and a half hours per day. Consequently, to raise standards of attainment, she is eager to
generate a continuum of learning experiences for the pupils by blurring the boundaries between
home and school.
The strategy
This operates in three ways, namely:
1. Daytime activities are arranged to provide parents with the skills and knowledge to support
their children's education
These initiatives respond to educational needs, for example, courses on child development, family
literacy sessions and other adult education opportunities. The school also raises awareness of
learning opportunities for children outside school hours, through pupil and parent workshops,
sessions on educational play at school and at home, books and games library for parents and
pupils to share together etc.
2. Activity sheets have been produced by the staff to promote learning within the home.
Themes include: Looking at Number, Mark Making, Money, Story Sharing, Cooking, Water
Play, Core Book Ideas, Name Writing and Cutting etc.
To promote the use of these sheets, they are brought to the parents' attention on their
'visiting day' to the Nursery (part of the induction process). Once their children have been
admitted, parent/carer workshops are arranged to discuss a range of issues, for example:
- the rationale of the worksheets and how the system works;
- advice on not pressurising the pupils, when to stop, and making it fun;
- resources available within the home and community; and
- health and safety issues etc.
Parents/carers are then encouraged to collect activity sheets appropriate to their children's
ability on a regular basis. There are also labelled drawers in the entrance hall which contain
scrap materials to be used at home with these sheets, for example, card, wallpaper, catalogue sheets,
envelopes, paper.
3. The School is included in the EAZ homework initiative.
Each pupil is provided with a 'Homework Bag', which has been adapted as a 'Home Activity Bag'
suitable for nursery-aged pupils.
Resources supplied with the bag include: a tripod pencil (to encourage pencil grip), crayons, a
pair of safety scissors, a note pad, tracing paper, a children's cookery book, and a children's book
from the Fire Service.
The activity sheets, reading books and games to be shared with parents, travel to and from the
home in these bags.
Outcomes
The head believes that the home activity strategy has brought the following benefits:
- home-school links have been enhanced considerably;
- parents have a greater understanding of how they can support their children's education at home - they have enjoyed and taken full advantage of the provision; and
- demonstrated that learning happens everywhere, and not simply at school.
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