Children are expected to read every day at home for about 5 to 10 minutes, longer as they become independent readers.Once a book has been read it will be changed accordingly.
Each child is given individual spellings which will be tested on a weekly basis. It is a good idea to recap some of the old spellings, as well as the new ones, so children retain their spellings on a more permanent basis.

The children will also be given a times table test on a Friday. Please revise these each day with your child.
 
At the end of each week, a homework activity will be set and will be expected back in to your child's teacher, the following Tuesday. This homework will be varied and creative and will range from; hunting for electrical appliances to making a guide book to Japan! We do appreciate that these homework activities may take some time, supervision and guidance but feel that the children gain greatly from such activities. Homework can be presented in any format. 
Remember: Little and often is the key to success!

KINGS’ FOREST SCHOOL
HOMEWORK POLICY

Rationale
Homework is an essential part of a good education and supports the learning taking place within the school day. It is part of a wider partnership between parents and school and complements classroom learning. The education of pupils is enriched when parents support their children’s learning at home.

Purposes

• To develop an effective partnership between the school, parents and carers in pursuit of the school’s aims.
• To ensure parents and carers have a clear understanding of the school’s expectations in their support of their child’s learning at home.
• To consolidate and reinforce skills and understanding, particularly in Literacy and Numeracy.
• To ensure a consistent approach to homework throughout the school.
• To practise key skills in a supportive environment.
• To extend school learning and improve the quality of learning experience offered to pupils.
• To encourage personal research.
• To ensure progression towards independence and individual responsibility.
• To encourage older pupils to develop the confidence and self discipline needed for studying alone.
• To prepare older pupils for secondary school.

Guidelines:
Key Stage 2 pupils will be given a homework book/folder to record any written work.  All children should carry their homework to and from school in a suitable bag, preferably a reading folder/book bag.

The time allocation for homework is as follows:

• Year 1 10minutes per day (up to a maximum of 1 hour per week)
• Year 2 15 minutes per day (up to a maximum of 1 hour 15 minutes per week)
• Year 3 18 minutes per day (up to a maximum of 1 hour 30 minutes per week)
• Year 4 20 minutes per day (up to a maximum of 1 hour 40 minutes per week)
• Year 5 25 minutes per day (up to a maximum of 2 hours per week)
• Year 6 30 minutes per day (up to a maximum of 2 hours 30 minutes per week)

Homework may be blocked as one task or presented as a research topic where relevant to the work in class.

The main content of all homework will be Literacy and Numeracy. All children will be expected to learn spellings and practise handwriting each week. As children progress through the school Science and other subjects will be included in the homework. The involvement of parents and carers is vital in joint activities, particularly for younger children.

Homework will be differentiated according to the ability of the child.

SPECIAL NEEDS
Homework for children on the Special Needs Code of Practice may vary in content and there may be a reduction in the time allocation as stated above. There may also be homework to support the individual needs for these pupils

Literacy

Regular reading is vital. All children should either read aloud daily, for between 10 & 20 minutes to a parent or carer at home, listen to a parent or carer reading or, if they are fluent readers, read on their own. The parent or carer should make a suitable comment in the home school reading book.

Children should learn spellings in preparation for weekly tests.

Correct punctuation should also be practised, together with the correct formation of letters in handwriting

Older children will be asked to find out information, read in preparation for lessons, prepare oral presentations and be given more traditional written assignments.

Numeracy
All Key Stage 1 pupils will be expected to learn number bonds. (+ & -) This will be in preparation for learning tables. As children progress through the school, they will have a times table target. They should practice tables for 5 or 10 minutes each evening.