1)                  Why give homework?

·         To re-inforce what the child learns during the day.

·         To provide a link between teacher and parent

·         To develop a child’s concentration skills and develop a work ethic

2)                  How often is homework given?

Homework is given on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays but generally not

on Fridays.  There are some exceptions e.g.

¨       if homework has been neglected during the week

¨       in senior classes some project work is undertaken at weekends

3)                  What is the content of homework?

·         Ideally homework will contain a balance between reading tasks, learning tasks and written tasks. 

·         This balance is not always possible and can vary considerably from day to day.  However, 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.

·         Sometimes homework will reflect the active learning used in various subject areas and parents should encourage children to engage in same e.g. worksheets in religion, SPHE etc, having to find particular objects, pictures etc, to find out information on or discuss a topic at home

·         At the beginning of each school year individual teachers may give greater detail as to what is required for homework for a specific class.                

4)                  How much (time) homework?

The following are guidelines for time spent at 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 & Senior Infants:  0  -  10 minutes

Rang 1 & 2                   15 - 20 mins

Rang 3  &  4                 20 - 30  mins

Rang 5  &  6                 30 – 45 mins

5)                  How much help should parents give?

·                     Parents should try to help their children with homework by:

¨       providing them with a suitable place and time to do  their  homework

¨       to prevent interruptions or distractions, like T.V. or other children

·         Children should do written homework themselves and parents should only help when the child has difficulty

·         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.  In this case the parent should write a note to the teacher

explaining the problem.

·         Shared reading  (CAPERS) is not homework in the regular sense and it is  simply meant to be an enjoyable exercise between parent and child. 

6)                  How often should parents monitor homework?

·                     Parents should check child’s homework journal and homework every evening.

·                     Individual teachers may request your signature.

·                     The pupil’s journal is an important record of the child’s homework.  It is also a valuable means of communication between parents and teachers.

7)                  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 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.          

8)                  When should parents communicate with the teachers about homework?

·                     When your child cannot do homework due to family circumstances

·                     When your child cannot do homework because she/he cannot understand some aspect.

·                     If the time being spent at homework is often longer than the recommended amount of time.

9)                  When should homework be done?

·                     Each family situation is different  -  both parents working, child minders, etc.  Ideally, homework should be done before any television is watched soon after school while your child is still fresh, however, some child need a break before starting homework.

·                     If your child does his/her homework with a person other than parents/guardians please do monitor the work yourself also

·                     Homework should never be left until morning time before school

Remember

If homework is a stressful experience between parent and child, something is wrong!  This leads to poor learning and defeats the whole purpose.  Should this happen on a regular basis, please contact the class teacher.

THIS POLICY IS SUBJECT TO PERIODICAL REVIEW