1. Homework Workshop for Parents
Tuesday 4th October 2016

2. What are your memories of homework?
What was homework like when you were at school ~ did you complete it straightaway or leave it until the last minute. Remember your child may be different to you! Tell story of Ryan who said his mother had rubbed it all out which is why he hadn’t given it in.

3. Why do school’s set homework?
To create a culture of learning that isn’t limited just to school
To embed new learning
To practise new skills
To discover more about the world around them with their family
Research shows that pupils who engage in home learning with their family are more successful academically and more resilient as young people
It is very obvious which pupils are reading regularly, practising phonics and completing the homework themselves
However it isn’t statutory and school’s cannot enforce anything if it isn’t completed BUT it will affect your child’s progress!
When pupils practise their dancing, football etc at the weekend ~ that’s homework! Visiting other countries and learning about different cultures is learning too.

4. Most importantly ~ get the atmosphere right
When does your child learn best ~ straight after school? After playing for an hour? First thing in the morning?
Be consistent with timing and days ~ children like routine
Display on a visual timetable or calendar when you will be doing homework
Stick to an agreed time and show it on the clock ~ it shouldn’t be endless!
Turn off the television/radio ~ when they are younger, this can change as they go to secondary school
If you have more than one child then work out with them if they want to do the homework together or separately and who will go first
Make sure that you are relaxed too and are devoting the time not trying to do 10 other things at the same time!
Consider ticking off when you have completed pieces of homework so that they can see the homework being managed ~consider a non-material reward when it is all finished
Make sure you break the homework down into manageable realistic chunks
We all have different good working times ~ when is yours?

5. How do you manage the homework now?
On your tables discuss how you manage homework now
What works well?
What could be better?
What are the barriers?
What is the biggest challenge?
5 minutes for discussion and feedback to the group

6. Tips for reading homework
Be patient ~ give your child time to respond to working out words and sentences. Count to 10 in your head before providing more support… 1 and 2 and 3 and ….
Provide a scaffold for support don’t give them the answers
Praise wherever possible ~ make sure it is a fun session not back to Victorian schooling!
If they have struggled through the sentence and are likely to loose the fluency then read the sentence again for them before moving on
It’s not just about decoding words, talk about the story ~ predict what might happen, discuss why characters have made particular decisions or taken particular actions, discuss what they like and don’t like about the story and talk about why
Make sure that you read to them regularly and still remember to talk about the story
If you enjoy reading books then talk about what you are reading too ~ it shows them that reading has a purpose. You don’t have to be reading fiction it could be a magazine or an information book
Go to libraries ~ they have lots of activities on in the school holidays
It is the comprehension understanding which lets pupils down the most in assessments
Include reading homework
Information has been sent home by teachers to help with comprehension tips

7. Tips for writing homework
Give them time to respond they have a lot of skills to put into place
Don’t expect them to get it all right at once a lot of skills are needed ~ just focus on one or two at a time:
Using letter sounds to sound out words
Leaving spaces between words
Remembering the correct punctuation for the end of the sentence
Using interesting vocabulary to impact on the reader
Checking the sentences are grammatically correct
Letters are formed correctly
Remembering spellings
Sometimes do some joint writing so that you create a piece of writing together ~ talk out loud about what you are thinking children learn by watching and listening to the experts!

8. Tips for maths homework
Again give them time to respond… 1 and 2 and 3 ….
If you don’t feel very confident in maths then make the sessions ‘learning together’ and don’t transfer your anxiety onto them
If you aren’t sure then don’t hesitate to come and ask us!
If they tell you that they should be doing something a particular way and it is different to what you learnt ~ don’t teach them your way, talk to your class teacher or TA to check that they are accurate and then stick to their way
Don’t jump ahead with maths teaching ~ you won’t be doing them a favour unless they have a secure understanding of particular concepts then they won’t understand more complex ones later ~ let the teacher set the pace, it is differentiated for the different development stages within the class
Y3 maths expectations given out
Don’t go googling and setting them unrealistic expectations

9. Remember.. Stick to a routine ~ it needs to be regular
Keep it realistic and manageable
Make sure that you are in the right frame of mind too!
Use praise ~ help your child see the workload reducing
Make it a quality learning time together ~ you don’t have to know everything (children love it when they can teach you something as well and it helps them embed their learning)
Come and ask us if you are unsure about anything!
Give them time to respond
Come and talk to us if they aren’t co-operating home and school working together is the most effective way of changing things
Life is busy but remember you only get one chance at childhood and school life!

10. Solution Circle What issues are you currently facing?
We have a lot of expertise in the room good to share ideas and strategies