Home Learning

At The Royal Kent School, all classes from Reception upwards expect that children complete tasks at home, which have been set by their class teachers. The types and quantity of these tasks increase as children move through the school.

Home learning aims to:

• Support the development of children’s knowledge and skills, especially in English and mathematics;
• Provide opportunities for wider learning and link children’s interests to learning at school;
• Develop positive attitudes to learning, self-discipline and independent study skills;
• Provide opportunities for parents, children and the school to work together in partnership.

Home learning has three main strands and will include a variety of activities. The type and amount of homework a child is set will vary according to their age and ability.  From Year 1 upwards, all homework is sent home on a Friday, with English and mathematics activities to be returned the following Wednesday. A specific date will be given at the beginning of each term for when topic homework needs to be returned.

1. Daily reading: At The Royal Kent School we see reading as the foundation for all other learning; wherever possible we expect all children to read daily at home. Children in Years R-4 are asked to practise reading from their class reading books and/or library books, with close adult support. Children in Years 3-6 are encouraged to read from as wide a range of genres as possible.  This homework is in addition to other set tasks. All children from Reception upwards have a reading planner, which should be signed regularly at home when a child has read.
2. English and mathematics weekly tasks: Children will learn differentiated spellings for weekly tests. From Year 2 onwards, they will practise multiplication tables appropriate for age and individual targets. These will be reinforced weekly in class and children will be tested regularly. Writing, number work and investigations, which may be linked with topics, also develop skills learnt at school.
3. Class enquiry activity grids: For classes from Year 1 to Year 5, homework linked to our termly class enquiries provides opportunities for children to develop important study and time-management skills, including research, problem-solving and presenting information. Class enquiry activity grids offer children choice and challenge, enabling them to explore particular areas of interest and be creative in their approach and presentation. Children are given extended time to complete these tasks and are expected to complete at least one activity each term.

Suggested Homework Timings 

Role of Parents/ Carers at home:

• Try to provide a quiet place to work;
• Encourage your child to establish a regular routine and time management, working for the suggested time as per our guidelines above;
• Encourage, support and guide (but avoid doing the homework for them!);
• Not push your child to complete work if they are in difficulty or working beyond the time allocated; let the teacher know by writing a short note in the homework book;
• Sign the reading planner as required for your child's year group. Please add comments if you wish (eg: encouragement, any difficulties).

Role of Teachers:

• Plan for and set regular homework matched to the children’s abilities;
• Allow more than one evening to complete a task;
• Mark children’s work weekly / give oral feedback, depending on the age of the child and nature of the task;
• Celebrate children’s work, i.e. positive comments, rewards, displays;
• Keep a record of children’s progress and provide regular oral feedback to children about their effort, achievements and next steps;
• Respond to parent comments in the homework book and let parents know if the teacher has any concerns. Provide feedback termly or when parents enquire.

Teachers discuss homework and marking arrangements at the ‘Meet the Teacher’ sessions in September. Half-termly letters to parents may also include more specific information for the class. If children repeatedly fail to do their homework or to hand it in, parents will be notified. Parents are reminded that ensuring their child completes homework, is part of the home school agreement which they sign when their child joins the school.