Homework

AHPA Homework Facts

How much time should my child spend completing their homework?

For children at primary school current minimum guidance (based on 5 days) for homework:

Year 1 and 2 – 15 mins per day
Year 3 and 4 – 20 mins per day
Year 5 and 6 – 30 mins per day

What should my child be doing in this time?

Reading (daily) -

Reading is an essential skill for the children accessing any aspect of the curriculum. This skill needs to be practised daily across all year groups. For younger year groups (years 1, 2 and 3), this will involve children focusing on learning how to comfortably decode unknown words (speedy working out of the pronunciation of unfamiliar printed words).

For older children, daily reading is also essential. Reading a wide range of texts not only increases pupils’ linguistic knowledge (vocabulary and spelling) but also develops their knowledge of themselves and the world they live in.

Questions to ask your child when hearing them read

Spellings (daily) -

The national curriculum outlines the spellings your children must learn by the end of the year (these lists are statutory in KS2). For KS1 pupils the development of their phonic knowledge underpins spelling lessons but as the children enter KS2 they are expected to utilise this knowledge, learning longer words and how to add prefixes and suffixes.

A full list of the spelling words can be found at the bottom of this page.

Your child’s class teacher will introduce a sound (vowels, diagraphs and trigraphs) or a spelling pattern each week. Pupils must practise these on a daily basis using a range of strategies to ensure they not only learn the sound/pattern but also they are able to recall it. Children should work on learning their spellings throughout the week using small tasks such as Copy it, Copy it… Recall it, Break it down, Acrostic poems and writing the word in a sentence.

Timestables -including Yr1 number bonds (daily) –

Year Group	*National Curriculum expectations
1	Number bonds to 10 and 20
2	2, 5 and 10 multiplication facts
3	3, 4 and 8 multiplication facts
4	6, 7, 9, 11 and 12 multiplication facts
5	All multiplication facts
6	All multiplication facts

*please note this is the minimum requirement

Being able to quickly recall number facts (including times tables) is crucial for most Maths concepts and children who don’t know their multiplication facts will fall behind in Maths. Pupils across all years must practise reciting number facts on a daily basis.

Children should learn their times tables in order, out of order and learn the division facts for that times table.

As it is the expectation that by the end of Yr4 all pupils know and can recall their times tables up to and including the 12 multiplication table, Yrs 5 and 6 should work on speed/fluency and division facts revision of all times tables, choosing a few times tables at a time.

Children will use TT Rockstars to practise their times tables. This is a fun and interactive online programme which the pupils can securely log into in school and at home and practise rapid recall of their multiplication facts.

Children can log on TT Rockstars from here.

All the pupils’ activity on this programme is collated and shared with the class teacher and they will use this as part of their overall Teacher Assessment.

How can Parents help?

Add homework into your daily routine and provide a space for the children where they can practise reading, spellings and timetables everyday.
Check the children’s daily practise to make sure there is no mistake (i.e. the children are not rehearsing an incorrect spelling/misspelled word
Ensure that the children are reading (whether independently or heard by an adult) daily which includes asking them about what they have read.
Please remember to sign your child’s Reading Record and remind them to bring their reading books and reading records to school each day.
Test them on spelling words in preparation for the weekly tests (spelling tests are carried out on Fridays).

How the school will help with and monitor homework?

All the core skills will be introduced within learning time in school; this includes sounds and spelling patterns.
All classes will test the weekly spelling each Friday. The outcomes of which will be shared with you.
The children in KS2 will be able to access the Computing Suite (with adult supervision) daily to practice these skills; accessing the internet for TT Rockstar as well as being provided with a work space for practising spellings and their reading (the adult present will sign their Reading Record).
We will provide books in which the children can choose to practise their spelling in, but this will not be compulsory.