St.Conleth’s Infant Primary School,
Newbridge
Co.Kildare

Homework Policy
Reviewed in March 2011

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 work ethic.

Homework is meant to be achievable by a child, i.e. it provides an opportunity to practise work already done. It is normally prepared by the teacher in class.

Children are expected to do their homework to the best of their ability- no more, no less

2.How often is homework given?

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

Homework may be given at a weekend if it has been neglected on a persistent basis.

Sometimes at the discretion of the class teacher or the Principal, children are given ”homework off” as a treat or as an acknowledgement of some special occasion.

3.What is the content of homework?

Ideally, homework will contain a balance between reading tasks and pencil work, colouring or to seek information relating to classwork. This balance is not always possible everyday and can vary considerably- however it should be noted that time devoted to reading to, or reading with a child is as important as written work- also helping to develop skills such as speaking, remembering, looking, counting and make and do is invaluable.

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 begining 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 5-10 minutes

Senior Infants 10- 15 minutes

First Class 20-30 minutes

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 the child to overcome the difficulty with further explanations 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.

N.B. Shared reading 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.

6.How often should parents monitor homework?

Parents should check and sign a child’s homework every evening.

Please check that your child records his/her homework neatly in the correct page and ticks each item of homework when completed.

First Class children write homework into a homework notebook. Parents are to sign this notebook everyday that homework is assigned.

7. How often do teachers monitor homework?

Ideally teachers like to check homework on a daily basis.

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.

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 he/she cannot understand some aspect.

If the time 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, childminders, etc. Ideally homework should be done before any television is watched soon after school while your child is still fresh, however some children need a break before starting homework.

Homework should never be left until morning time before school.

Learning Support/Resource and Language Support Pupils

Class teachers should keep in mind that any child attending learning support/resource or English language teachers will also receive homework from them.

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 was reviewed and ratified by the Board of Management in March 2011.