Homework Policy
Introductory Statement
This policy was reviewed by staff team at Mary, Mother of Hope J.N.S in June 2013. Suggested amendments were presented to a core group of Staff and to representatives of the Parent Association later that month. Further amendments were made following these consultations. It was ratified by the Board of Management at it’s meeting in September 2013.
Rationale This policy was drawn up in order to have a consistent approach to homework amongst the teachers in the school and as a way of effectively communicating the school’s approach to homework to parents.
Content Why give Homework? ·
How often is homework given? ·
Homework is given on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Sometimes at the discretion of the class teacher or the principal, children are given a night off homework as a treat or reward or as acknowledgment of some special occasion. This may be on a whole school/class basis or as individual reward e.g Homework Pass or Birthday
What is the content of homework? ·
Homework is meant to be achievable by a child, i.e. it provides an opportunity to practise work already done. The work given will always represent a reinforcement of the work already covered in class.
How much time should be spent on homework tasks?
The following are guidelines for time spent on homework. Different children will complete the same homework in different lengths of time. Time spent will vary from day to day and also from the beginning to the end of the school year. It is important to remember that it is the quality and not the quantity of homework that matters. The following are general guidelines only:
Junior Infants 10/15 minutes
Senior Infants 15/20 minutes
First Class Up to a maximum of 30 minutes
Second Class Up to a maximum of 40 minutes
How much help should parents give?
Parents should try to help their children with homework by:
· Shared reading (Bookworm) is not homework in the regular sense and it is simply meant to be an enjoyable exercise between parent and child. If it is not enjoyable, shared reading should not be done.
How often should parents monitor homework? ·
Parents should check and sign a child’s homework every evening.
· If the child completes homework with a Childminder or in Crèche parents should make an effort to check that their child’s homework has been completed to an adequate standard
· Please check that your child records their homework neatly in the correct page and ticks each item of homework when completed.
How often do teachers monitor homework? · Ideally teachers like to check homework on a daily basis. However with large class numbers it is not always possible to check each child’s homework journal every day.
· As children get older and learn to work independently, some items of homework are checked less often e.g. every second day or once per week.
· Some items of homework (and classwork) may be checked by children themselves under the direction of the teacher. This can be a useful part of the learning process for children.
When should parents communicate with the teachers about homework? · If children have not been able to complete their homework due to circumstances beyond their control.
· When your child cannot do homework because she/he cannot understand some aspect of the work.
· If the time being spent at homework is often longer than the recommended amount of time.
When should homework be done? ·
Each family situation is different - maybe both parents are working or children attend a crèche or childminder. Ideally, homework should be done soon after school while your child is still fresh. However, some children need a break before starting homework.
· Parents should check their child’s homework every evening.
Remember If homework is a stressful experience between parent and child, something is wrong! This leads to poor learning and defeats the whole purpose of the exercise. Should this happen on a regular basis, please contact your child’s teacher.
This policy will be reviewed on a regular basis
This policy was reviewed by staff team at Mary, Mother of Hope J.N.S in June 2013. Suggested amendments were presented to a core group of Staff and to representatives of the Parent Association later that month. Further amendments were made following these consultations. It was ratified by the Board of Management at it’s meeting in September 2013.
Rationale This policy was drawn up in order to have a consistent approach to homework amongst the teachers in the school and as a way of effectively communicating the school’s approach to homework to parents.
Content Why give Homework? ·
How often is homework given? ·
Homework is given on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Sometimes at the discretion of the class teacher or the principal, children are given a night off homework as a treat or reward or as acknowledgment of some special occasion. This may be on a whole school/class basis or as individual reward e.g Homework Pass or Birthday
What is the content of homework? ·
Homework is meant to be achievable by a child, i.e. it provides an opportunity to practise work already done. The work given will always represent a reinforcement of the work already covered in class.
- Children are expected to do their homework to the best of their individual ability – no more, no less. Children will be given homework which is suitable to their ability level. Teachers will ensure the work is differentiated to ensure special needs are catered for. For children who attend Learning Support priority should be given to the homework assigned by the Learning Support teacher.
- Over the course of a week, homework will ideally contain a balance between reading tasks, learning tasks, written tasks and some Mathematics. Homework will contain a balance of work, e.g. some oral work, some written work, some reading.
- It should be noted that homework time devoted to reading and learning is as important as written work.
- Children often feel that reading and “learning by heart” is not real homework. Parents can play an important role in listening to reading and items to be learned ensuring this work is done well.
How much time should be spent on homework tasks?
The following are guidelines for time spent on homework. Different children will complete the same homework in different lengths of time. Time spent will vary from day to day and also from the beginning to the end of the school year. It is important to remember that it is the quality and not the quantity of homework that matters. The following are general guidelines only:
Junior Infants 10/15 minutes
Senior Infants 15/20 minutes
First Class Up to a maximum of 30 minutes
Second Class Up to a maximum of 40 minutes
How much help should parents give?
Parents should try to help their children with homework by:
- Becoming familiar with the schools Homework Policy which is also available on the school’s website www.hopejns.com
- providing them with a suitable space and time to do their homework. The space chosen should have adequate lighting and appropriate furniture. Resources such as pencils, colours, and scissors should be easily available.
- There should be minimal disruption for your child. Parents should try to prevent interruptions or distractions from T.V. or other children
- Children should do written homework themselves and parents should only help when the child has difficulty. The finished product does not have to be perfect. It should reflect a genuine and reasonable effort by the child.
- If a child has difficulty with homework, the parents should help the child to overcome the difficulty with further explanation or examples, but not by actually doing the homework for the child. If the child is still unable to complete the task the parent should write a note to the teacher explaining the problem.
· Shared reading (Bookworm) is not homework in the regular sense and it is simply meant to be an enjoyable exercise between parent and child. If it is not enjoyable, shared reading should not be done.
- Parallel reading is more formal in nature and children should be able to attempt to read some of the text. Parents should inform teacher if books are either too easy or too challenging for the child.
How often should parents monitor homework? ·
Parents should check and sign a child’s homework every evening.
· If the child completes homework with a Childminder or in Crèche parents should make an effort to check that their child’s homework has been completed to an adequate standard
· Please check that your child records their homework neatly in the correct page and ticks each item of homework when completed.
How often do teachers monitor homework? · Ideally teachers like to check homework on a daily basis. However with large class numbers it is not always possible to check each child’s homework journal every day.
· As children get older and learn to work independently, some items of homework are checked less often e.g. every second day or once per week.
· Some items of homework (and classwork) may be checked by children themselves under the direction of the teacher. This can be a useful part of the learning process for children.
When should parents communicate with the teachers about homework? · If children have not been able to complete their homework due to circumstances beyond their control.
· When your child cannot do homework because she/he cannot understand some aspect of the work.
· If the time being spent at homework is often longer than the recommended amount of time.
When should homework be done? ·
Each family situation is different - maybe both parents are working or children attend a crèche or childminder. Ideally, homework should be done soon after school while your child is still fresh. However, some children need a break before starting homework.
· Parents should check their child’s homework every evening.
Remember If homework is a stressful experience between parent and child, something is wrong! This leads to poor learning and defeats the whole purpose of the exercise. Should this happen on a regular basis, please contact your child’s teacher.
This policy will be reviewed on a regular basis
Junior Infants
|
Monday
Tuesday Wednesday Thursday |
Bookworm /Parallel
Class Reader/Sight Words Jolly Phonics/Wordlist Practical Maths Activity 1 Written task (Maths) |
Senior Infants
|
Monday
Tuesday Wednesday Thursday |
|
1st & 2nd Class
|
Monday
Tuesday Wednesday Thursday |
Class Reading
Parallel Reader Spelling Tables Reading Comprehension/Grammar Exercise Maths Problem Solving activity |
