Homework at BPA

Welcome to our homework page.

Here you will find information about the sort of homework that is expected each week from your child.

What homework and when?

As you might expect, as pupils progress through the school, the level and expectations of homework will increase gradually. The ‘Meet the Teacher’ session, in November, March and July is the perfect opportunity for you to find out about and discuss the homework set in your child’s class. If you have any other concerns during the year you are welcome to make appointments with our staff via the School Office.

Pupils and parents are sent home a sheet each week that covers the below information.

• An outline of what is happening for your child in school that week
• Weekly tasks for them to complete at home
• A challenge activity to challenge pupils learning
• Guidance on how parents can support their child
• Weekly spellings
• Key reading texts that the children will be reading, key maths topic and the
   focus learning question for that week.  

Your child’s teacher will adapt the homework according to the needs of the pupils and changes to the National Curriculum. As a school are trying to reduce our carbon footprint and reduce teacher workload therefore additional worksheets will not be sent out regularly.

What is the purpose of homework?

Schools provide homework for a variety of reasons. At BPA School, we believe that regular opportunities to undertake homework can benefit our pupils for the following reasons:

• It further demonstrates that learning can be fun
• It consolidates the skills we have taught in class
• It allows pupils to explore areas of interest within a topic, encouraging independent study
• It gives parents an insight into the learning that is taking place in class
• It encourages partnerships between parents and teachers
• It prepares pupils for secondary school – both in terms of workload and organisation

How to take the work out of homework

We are aware that, for many families, organising homework (such as weekly English and Maths activities) can feel like an extra chore, which inevitably defeats the main purpose: to demonstrate that learning can be fun! We want our parents to feel as confident as our pupils about what is expected for each class. With this in mind, we have put together some pointers for parents:

1. Please don’t feel ‘burdened’ by homework! By the time they are juniors (Y3), pupils confidently adopt classroom routines and take on greater responsibility. Our teachers are promoting independence for this year group, but they will still remind students about school trips, parent letters, reading books and homework.
2. Pupils know what to do if they get stuck. Part of the classroom discussion about homework includes strategies for overcoming common problems. For example, Who should you see if you are stuck? The Teacher. When should you see the teacher? Before the day it’s due in!
3. Pupils succeed when it’s fresh in their minds. As you might expect, most children find homework more manageable if they attempt it as soon as it is set, rather than waiting until the night before it is due to be handed in.
4. Helping a little helps a lot! We are delighted to have such supportive parents, who find the time to share in their children’s school activities. We’d like to thank you for your input and reassure you that there is no such thing as getting it wrong!
5. BPA teachers are very friendly. We hope that this page will help to alleviate any worries about homework expectations, but if you have a concern that has not been addressed, please make an appointment to see our lovely staff.
6. Help is out there. For parents of older children, you may find that it’s a struggle to develop a homework routine that is manageable; you might even dread it! Please speak to the class teacher about this.

Useful websites to help support your child’s learning are listed in the year group learning pages, these are continually being updated.

Marking homework

We reward genuine effort, rather than test scores alone. Where we see that pupils have challenged themselves to extend their learning at home, we will reward their effort. Sometimes pictures of homework are shared in the newsletter or we might take a photo for our topics books. Spellings and times tables are tested and marked – as is most Maths and English learning – however, we do not give written feedback for all homework. Instead, it may be part of a class discussion, during which pupils are given verbal feedback.

It is helpful if you, your child and the teacher signs the homework sheet,  this is an acknowledgment that there has been communication and that the homework has been seen by all.