Homework's contribution to school improvement
Robin Hood Primary School serves a former coal-mining village between Leeds and Wakefield.
A new headteacher, appointed in September 1997, identified immediately that the pupils were
under-achieving. She believed that a good and well-managed homework programme, supported by parents,
could make a significant contribution to the challenge of raising attainment.
The homework policy
A comprehensive policy statement was produced, outlining clearly homework's contribution to children's
progress at school. It also emphasised the importance of the home-school partnership, and expectations
placed upon parents supporting their children's learning at home. The Policy also identified the
implications for nursery, reception class, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.
The Policy aimed to ensure that:
- homework is clearly linked to class work and the National Curriculum;
- it is manageable for pupils, teachers and parents/carers; and
- parents/carers receive a homework schedule - homework planners are introduced for KS2 pupils.
The practice
a) Pre-school
Home visits are undertaken and information is shared on how to prepare children for the nursery. Meetings are also held to discuss the nursery's
curriculum.
b) Nursery
Parents are encouraged to use the 'Books and Games Library'. Information is also shared through coffee
mornings and leaflets sent home on a range of issues, for example, helping with reading, letter formation
and aspects of maths. Parents are also given as much information as possible on the early curriculum
through leaflets, meetings and displays of work.
c) Reception Class
Parents and carers are encouraged to share books together - pupils select levelled fiction books, which
support the reading scheme. Pupils choose a book a week from the non-fiction library, and take their
reading scheme book home daily. Words to learn from the reading scheme are also sent home regularly. A
sentence book to support literacy work is sent home at weekends. Maths work is set when appropriate for
individual pupils.
d) Key Stage 1
Homework builds on the established practices outlined above, for example, reading diaries are provided to
encourage discussion with parents. Homework books for literacy and numeracy are also introduced. Spellings
are sent home weekly. Additionally, workshops and meetings for parents are held on a range of issues, for
example, the Literacy and Numeracy Strategies.
e) Key Stage 2
Homework tasks consolidate and reinforce skills and understanding, particularly in literacy and numeracy.
Additionally, for pupils in Years 5 and 6, 'family design technology' challenges are set. These are
welcomed particularly by the more practically orientated pupils and parents.
Parents are expected to encourage pupils to complete their homework conscientiously and hand it in
on time. The school runs a weekly homework club for pupils who may prefer to complete their work on the
school site.
Monitoring
Homework and the homework diaries introduced for KS2 pupils are monitored on a regular basis. The
quality of the work is also evaluated through termly core sampling procedures. Uncompleted or
unsatisfactory homework is recorded in the homework diary.
Celebration
Considerable emphasis is placed upon acknowledging and praising good work, for example, awards are
given for homework in the 'Good Work Assembly'. Parents are encouraged to praise their children as
much as possible.
Outcomes
The head believes that the school's homework policy and practice are contributing to the academic success enjoyed by the pupils. When they enter
the nursery, most are below expected levels of literacy and numeracy. However, by the end of Year 6,
approximately 50% of all pupils achieve Level 5 in English, maths and science.
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