Homework

Why do we set homework?

We understand that your child’s learning is important to parents. Many parents would like the opportunity to be involved in their child’s learning and support them in reaching their full potential. At Bedlington Station Primary School we value homework as an opportunity to:

involve you in your child’s learning
reinforce the learning that takes place in class
practise key skills (e.g. reading, spellings, tables)
encourage your child to take some responsibility for their own learning
give your child the opportunity to investigate a topic further

How can I support my child?

Find a suitably quiet place for your child to do their homework
When using the internet ensure your child is supervised
Take an interest in your child’s homework and support where necessary
Ensure that your child completes their homework on time, and that it is returned to school
Allow your child to complete their own homework!

Remember, if you have any concerns at all about your child’s homework, or would like some advice about how to best support, please contact the class teacher.

What homework looks like @ BSPS

Vocabulary & Spelling (Years 1-6)

Each half term, your child will receive a selection of words to learn and practise. These words will be taught and explored in school, and we encourage you to revisit them regularly at home. Rather than relying on weekly spelling tests, our approach focuses on giving children repeated exposure to words so they can confidently understand, spell and use them in their everyday writing.

Spelling

Common exception words for children to practise and become increasingly confident in using accurately in their writing.

Topic Vocabulary

Key words linked to the topics and subjects children are learning in school. Children are encouraged to discover their meanings, develop their understanding and use them in context.

Vocab Ninja Words

A selection of useful and ambitious words designed to broaden children's vocabulary. Children will learn to recognise, understand, read, spell and use these words to enrich their speaking and writing.

The links to vocabulary lists are send to parents half termly via The Station Voice.

We expect all children to read at home every night. The amount of time spent reading will vary depending on your child's age. As a guide, children in the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 should spend around 10 minutes reading each evening, while children in Key Stage 2 should aim for at least 20 minutes.

Children who are following the Read Write Inc. (RWI) programme will bring home a reading book matched to their phonics knowledge. Once children have progressed beyond RWI, they will move on to Accelerated Reader, which supports them in selecting books appropriate to their reading ability. All children will also have a library book they have chosen themselves during Book Club.

We encourage children to enjoy a wide range of reading materials, including books, comics, magazines, websites and even subtitles on television. Reading should be an enjoyable part of everyday life, and sharing books and talking about what has been read are just as valuable as independent reading.

Children should record their reading at home on their Reading Bookmark. Once completed, bookmarks can be returned to school and entered into our termly prize draw, celebrating children's commitment to reading regularly.

Reading books, book bags and Reading Bookmarks should be brought into school every day. Teachers will check these during Book Club sessions to monitor reading at home and support children in developing positive reading habits.

Children should practise their times tables at home. In KS1 this should mainly involve counting in 2s, 5s and 10s; moving onto multiplication and division facts from Year 2. Once children have been introduced to specific times tables in Year 2, they will be given access to Times Tables Rock Stars (TTRS) to practise and develop their fluency. Children will continue to use TTRS throughout the rest of their time at school, helping them to build confidence, accuracy and speed in recalling multiplication and division facts.

Homework Challenge (Years 1-6)

Each half term class teachers set a ‘Homework Challenge’. In addition what is detailed above, the Homework Challenge also outlines curriculum related tasks for children to complete at home. These could be linked to any area of the curriculum but will all have a link to what your child is learning in school. These challenges could include activities such as: creating artwork, writing a report, researching an event, writing a story, keeping a journal or investigating a problem. These challenges can be completed in any order and emailed to your child's class teacher at any time during the half term. The Homework Challenge is an opportunity to become involved first hand with your child’s learning.

The Homework Challenge is optional. Children who choose to complete these tasks will be rewarded with Station Stars.

The links to homework challenges are send to parents half termly via The Station Voice.