Highbury Infant School and Nursery

Homework

Homework at Highbury

At Highbury School there is an expectation that children will engage with some homework every week. What is offered will vary from class to class and even child to child depending on the topic and need.

Homework acts as a bridge and can help parents understand more about how pupils like to learn and what works for them. Many parents at our school also want their child to receive homework so they can understand what they're learning at school.

Simply by discussing the topics being covered at school you will instantly improve your child’s vocabulary and engagement in the subject but doing some short, focussed tasks at home relating to what has been taught at school will add greater value because revisiting the day’s learning is what helps to make it stick.

We believe therefore that the time you spend on doing homework will develop more than academic skills alone. Homework sessions encourage conversation and reflection, shared interest, memory, early self-regulation and time management and for some even improves their negotiating skills!

Here are some handy homework hints:

Do:

• Read.
• Talk about school and take an interest.
• Read again.
• Ask and encourage questions and develop your child’s vocabulary.
• Read some more.
• Consider the purpose of the task. Written recording by your child is not always necessary or useful. They can type or draw, you can help scribe, you can print pictures from the internet etc.

Do not:

• Let homework become a battle.
• Spend too long on homework or do too much home learning.
• Allow homework to make anyone at home sad (including you!)
• Forget to read

Signing or writing in the reading diary completes the home-school cycle and shows your child that you value school and what they are learning and sharing with you.  Please remember this small but vital step.

If you have any concerns or questions about homework and how you can adapt it for your child do not hesitate to talk to the staff at school.