Homework at Glasshoughton Infant Academy

We would like to take this opportunity to explain the variety of homework opportunities available to your child. On-going support, lots of praise and encouragement at home has a positive impact on children’s progress and allows children to consolidate and recap their learning.

Homework Expectations

Below are the weekly homework expectations for children at Glasshoughton Infant Academy.

Homework Card (Nursery, Reception, Year 1, Year 2)

Children will receive a homework card termly with tasks which link to their current learning in school. Children are expected to complete at least 4 tasks throughout the term; one from the blue row, one from the red row, one from the yellow row and one other. Your child may choose to complete them all. The tasks cover a range of learning from across the curriculum, including English, Maths, Science, Art, History and a range of other subject areas.

When your child has completed a task post their learning to Class Dojo or Tapestry (EYFS) so your child’s class teacher can see and reward their learning and respond with any questions or next steps.

Home Reading book (Reception, Year 1, Year 2)

Reading books will be either handed out to children or allocated on Bug Club weekly. Books on Bug Club will be appropriately matched to your child’s reading ability. Reading books that are sent home are to be handed in in every Thursday and a new pack will be sent home on a Friday. We encourage parents to comment on their child’s reading via Class Dojo on how well they have read the book, anything they struggled with and whether they enjoyed the book or not. We really enjoy reading these comments and discussing them with the children.

High Frequency Word Book (Reception, Year 1, Year 2)

High frequency word books to be brought to school every day. They contain words known as high frequency words (the most frequent words in the English language). Children need to be able to read these words by sight, without sounding them out, hesitating or guessing. This helps children to become more fluent and confident readers. Yourself and your child do not need to make any marks in this book. Staff will check children’s progress weekly and a tick will be given if they read the word correctly and a dot given if they need more practice. When a child receives three ticks next to a word a new word is written in the book for them to learn.

Phonics book (Reception, Year, Year 2)

Phonics books to be brought to school every day. An adult will check whether children can recognise the sounds in their book on a weekly basis. If children can confidently recognise and say a selection of sounds then words containing these sounds will be added to their book for them to practise reading. This ensures children are using their segmenting and blending skills to read, developing their fluency.  

Maths Fluency Card (Reception, Year 1, Year 2)

Maths fluency cards to be brought to school every day. These cards include Mathematical facts that your child needs to be able to learn by heart, without hesitation. An adult will check whether children know the facts in their book on a weekly basis. If children confidently know the facts then new ones will be stuck in for them to practise.

Spellings (Year 1 and Year 2)

In KS1 10 spellings will be posted to Class Dojo each week for your child to practise at home. There may be more than one list of spellings so your child’s class teacher will inform you which ones your child should be learning. The spellings will be linked to the phonemes and spelling patterns your child has been learning in school as well as the National Curriculum expectations.

Extra Homework Opportunities

In addition to the homework that children are required to complete on a weekly basis, children will also have access to other educational tools to support them in their learning. There is no expectation for children to complete these, however they are great resources and children will be rewarded for accessing these platforms, in the form of stickers in class.

Bug Club

Bug Club is an online platform where children can read books online and answer questions about what they have read. Your child will log on with their own unique username and password and the class teacher will send two books for your child to read weekly, with you supporting them as you would with a real book. The books follow our systematic approach to phonics so all books read by your child will at the appropriate reading level.

On the last page of the book there is a picture of a little bug that takes you to a selection of questions for your child to answer. The questions link to the book they have just read, the phonics they have been using and the tricky words they have been reading. The questions are not a test but will give your child’s class teacher an understanding of how they have read, anything they found particularly easy or anything that they needed a little support with. To read is to comprehend and these questions will also support your child’s comprehension skill development.

Doodle Maths (Reception, Year 1, Year 2)

Doodle Maths is an online learning tool linked to the age-related expectations for each year group. Children will be assigned 2 tasks a week. More tasks will be assigned if your child chooses to complete these.

Doodle English (Year 1, Year 2)

Doodle English is an online learning tool linked to the age-related expectations for each year group. Children will be assigned 2 tasks a week. More tasks will be assigned if your child chooses to complete these.

TT Rockstars (Year 2)

TT Rockstars is an online platform where children practise and learn their timetables. This is a fun programme where children can work to beat their score. Teachers will assign tasks to children.

Numbots (Nursery, Reception, Year 1, Year 2)

Numbots is an online platform where children learn a variety of number facts through various tasks and activities. They are able to work through these at their leisure.

Thank for continued support with your child’s homework, it really does make a difference to their learning! All teachers are able to log onto the online tools to see how children are doing and offer praise and support in class. If you have any questions about homework then please do not hesitate to speak to your child’s class teacher.

Your child’s log on details for all online learning platforms will be sent home in a sealed envelope.