Homework Information
We are passing on the discoveries and work of the previous generations to the next, whilst empowering pupils to add to this body of knowledge in the future.
At Stanley Road, we think that it is important for children to practise what they have learned in class at home to help them to be the best that they can be – our homework gives them the opportunity to do this. In years 2-6, homework will be provided for pupils on Google Classroom and all resources they may need will be put on the Classroom. Pupils will be given their login details, if your child does not have a login please talk to their class teacher.
Here are the expectations for homework in KS1 and 2 -
Reading
We expect all pupils to read at home (or be read to) every day. A record of this is then kept in the child’s reading record book. Children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 will take home two books each night.
1. One book will be closely matched to the child's current knowledge of phonics to enable them to practise applying this knowledge when decoding words. These books will be carefully selected by the class teacher so that children can read these books confidently with very little help. Parents will recognise these books as they will either have the Sounds-Write logo on the front or will be called Dandelion Launchers/Readers.
2. The second book will be a story book which pupils can share with family at home. These books are not closely matched to pupils phonic knowledge and so are designed to be read together with a parent or carer.
Pupils in Key Stage 2 may continue to take a book home each night which is matched to their phonic ability if further practice is needed. Other pupils will take home a reading book which will be broadly matched to pupils current reading ability according to the book band system.
Spelling
We expect pupils to learn a small set of spellings each week. Each week pupils will have a set of spellings which will all contain a common sound. The common sound may be spelled in different ways. For example the words 'play', 'rain' and 'break' may be in the same set of spellings as they all contain the 'ae' sound. In the word 'play' the 'ae' sound is spelled with <ay>, in 'rain' the "ae' sound is spelled with <ai> and in 'break' the 'ae' sound is spelled with <ea>.
Learning spellings is best completed in short bursts over the course of the week. Pupils will take a test on the weekly spellings and a selection of other previously learned spellings each week on a Friday.
Mathematics
We expect all pupils to practise recalling their number facts (including number bonds and times tables) for a few minutes each day. A useful resource for parents in Year 1 and Year 2 is the Numbots website which helps pupils secure their knowledge of number bonds. Similarly, a useful resource for parents of KS2 children is the Times Tables Rock Stars website which helps pupils secure their times tables knowledge. Both Numbots and TTRS can be accessed via the same login information which will be provided by your child's classteacher at the start of the year. Please speak to them if you do not have this information.
There may also be short maths tasks put on Google Classroom to support their learning in class.
Other Subjects
We expect pupils to learn the information on their Knowledge Organiser sheets which are sent home at the start of each half term. A schedule is provided to show which sections should be learned in each week. Pupils will be tested on this in school and we expect them to know this core information off by heart. All knowledge organisers will also be available on your child's Google Classroom account.
In years 2-6, teachers will provide tasks on Google Classroom to support your child in learning their Knowledge Organiser.
Poetry Recital Perfomances
We expect pupils to learn a number of poems to present in assemblies over the year. These will be sent home so parents can help their children learn these by heart. You can also find information on the poems they will learn in our Poetry curriculum available on the English Curriculum section of this website. Please see the calendar page on the website for details of when these assemblies take place.
Additional Homework
For pupils in years 2-6, there will be a bank of additional resources provided on their Google Classroom. Teachers may provide videos, tasks or links to home learning resources such as: National Oak Academy, Purple Mash and BBC Bitesize. These additional resources are curated to match the Stanley Road curriculum and offer revision of content pupils have studied in school.
At Stanley Road, we believe it is vital for children to learn significant information 'by heart' so that it makes learning in the future much easier. This is best done in short bursts each day rather than spending time on long pieces of homework once a week. If you have any further questions about homework please speak to your child’s class teacher.
If your child has special educational needs we will adapt homework to suit them if this is needed. Also, if your child ever receives any homework which you feel is too difficult or it is not clear what to do then please speak to the class teacher. While we do expect children to complete all homework, we do not want this to be a source of anxiety for you or your children.
If you would like to do more with your child to support their education then we would suggest providing them with a range of rich experiences that will give them increased knowledge of the world. This knowledge is invaluable in developing reading comprehension ability and gives children a wealth of information to draw on when writing in school. Suggestions of places to visit include museums, art galleries, nature reserves, theatres to see plays, libraries and restaurants. For further information regarding activities that the government suggests children should take part in please download this document My Activity Passport.
Here are the expectations for homework in KS1 and 2 -
Reading
We expect all pupils to read at home (or be read to) every day. A record of this is then kept in the child’s reading record book. Children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 will take home two books each night.
1. One book will be closely matched to the child's current knowledge of phonics to enable them to practise applying this knowledge when decoding words. These books will be carefully selected by the class teacher so that children can read these books confidently with very little help. Parents will recognise these books as they will either have the Sounds-Write logo on the front or will be called Dandelion Launchers/Readers.
2. The second book will be a story book which pupils can share with family at home. These books are not closely matched to pupils phonic knowledge and so are designed to be read together with a parent or carer.
Pupils in Key Stage 2 may continue to take a book home each night which is matched to their phonic ability if further practice is needed. Other pupils will take home a reading book which will be broadly matched to pupils current reading ability according to the book band system.
Spelling
We expect pupils to learn a small set of spellings each week. Each week pupils will have a set of spellings which will all contain a common sound. The common sound may be spelled in different ways. For example the words 'play', 'rain' and 'break' may be in the same set of spellings as they all contain the 'ae' sound. In the word 'play' the 'ae' sound is spelled with <ay>, in 'rain' the "ae' sound is spelled with <ai> and in 'break' the 'ae' sound is spelled with <ea>.
Learning spellings is best completed in short bursts over the course of the week. Pupils will take a test on the weekly spellings and a selection of other previously learned spellings each week on a Friday.
Mathematics
We expect all pupils to practise recalling their number facts (including number bonds and times tables) for a few minutes each day. A useful resource for parents in Year 1 and Year 2 is the Numbots website which helps pupils secure their knowledge of number bonds. Similarly, a useful resource for parents of KS2 children is the Times Tables Rock Stars website which helps pupils secure their times tables knowledge. Both Numbots and TTRS can be accessed via the same login information which will be provided by your child's classteacher at the start of the year. Please speak to them if you do not have this information.
There may also be short maths tasks put on Google Classroom to support their learning in class.
Other Subjects
We expect pupils to learn the information on their Knowledge Organiser sheets which are sent home at the start of each half term. A schedule is provided to show which sections should be learned in each week. Pupils will be tested on this in school and we expect them to know this core information off by heart. All knowledge organisers will also be available on your child's Google Classroom account.
In years 2-6, teachers will provide tasks on Google Classroom to support your child in learning their Knowledge Organiser.
Poetry Recital Perfomances
We expect pupils to learn a number of poems to present in assemblies over the year. These will be sent home so parents can help their children learn these by heart. You can also find information on the poems they will learn in our Poetry curriculum available on the English Curriculum section of this website. Please see the calendar page on the website for details of when these assemblies take place.
Additional Homework
For pupils in years 2-6, there will be a bank of additional resources provided on their Google Classroom. Teachers may provide videos, tasks or links to home learning resources such as: National Oak Academy, Purple Mash and BBC Bitesize. These additional resources are curated to match the Stanley Road curriculum and offer revision of content pupils have studied in school.
At Stanley Road, we believe it is vital for children to learn significant information 'by heart' so that it makes learning in the future much easier. This is best done in short bursts each day rather than spending time on long pieces of homework once a week. If you have any further questions about homework please speak to your child’s class teacher.
If your child has special educational needs we will adapt homework to suit them if this is needed. Also, if your child ever receives any homework which you feel is too difficult or it is not clear what to do then please speak to the class teacher. While we do expect children to complete all homework, we do not want this to be a source of anxiety for you or your children.
If you would like to do more with your child to support their education then we would suggest providing them with a range of rich experiences that will give them increased knowledge of the world. This knowledge is invaluable in developing reading comprehension ability and gives children a wealth of information to draw on when writing in school. Suggestions of places to visit include museums, art galleries, nature reserves, theatres to see plays, libraries and restaurants. For further information regarding activities that the government suggests children should take part in please download this document My Activity Passport.