At Cramond Homework has been renamed homelearning. Weekly and monthly tasks are set with a balance between core must do tasks and a choice from a range of others. Our Homelearning walls will now be shared on this new website.

Homelearning allows children to share learning with their parents and helps promote positive partnerships between school and home. It also encourages pupils to be more independent and develop good habits of self-discipline & time management skills, essential for secondary school, further learning, work and life.

Homelearning should reinforce, extend and challenge knowledge and/or skills whilst providing an opportunity for pupils to demonstrate understanding through creative contexts. Pupils should have the opportunity to build on their strengths and have a say in how they demonstrate their ability or understanding.

Homelearning is intended to support and deepen learning but cannot be the only vehicle for experiencing or learning. All children have different abilities, needs and levels of available support. A one-size approach will not fit all. This policy is a flexible framework, which will fit different learning and teaching styles and adapt across the session.

Homelearning should be aimed to best meet needs of learners rather than suit staff or parents. A key element of Curriculum for Excellence is promoting wider achievement and planned opportunities to learn beyond the classroom. These opportunities, whilst having a greater emphasis on literacy and numeracy, must also incorporate aspects of the 6 other curricular subjects. Credence must also be taken of the excellent learning many of our pupils already undertake through extra curricular clubs and activities. These require pupils to invest time, determination and commitment into achievement and this should be shared, celebrated and included under the umbrella of ‘homelearning’.

Additionally, time with friends, family and peers is also vital for personal and social development and in this increasingly busy life we all lead, Homelearning should therefore play a proportionate role. Pupils, staff and parents will have the right to ‘opt out’ of homelearning where other demands are more pressing. Communication however is crucial to ensure that a common understanding of changing learners needs is shared. This will include school staff explaining impact of wider school events and timescales on homelearning. Significant time is invested by staff into the setting, planning, marking and collection of homelearning. Parents invest a great deal of effort and energy into supporting and supervising their child’s home learning.

Most people, however, have widely differing expectations of homelearning.

This policy aims to clarify the purpose of Homelearning policy at Cramond. Cramond policy is based on the seven principles of CFE which are:

Challenge and enjoyment
Breadth
Progression
Depth
Personalisation and choice
Coherence
Relevance.

At Cramond we expect that home learning tasks are:

planned and purposeful whilst also fun and accessible to all,
linked to learning in school or world events,
help develop key literacy and numeracy skills.
Tasks will be varied and encourage pupils to show initiative and develop higher order skills for learning, life & work.

Clear communication is crucial. Pupils will have a homelearning ring binder. Pupils will be given a clear timescale with regular opportunities to bring on going homelearning tasks into class to discuss and share.

Timescales will allow families flexibility to fit into busy schedules. As pupils get older they will be given increasing responsibility to organise their tasks over a longer time period from 2 – 6 weeks with regular check ins. Younger pupils will still have daily reading, maths and phonics activities to consolidate learning at home. Home learning will not be be issued on a Monday for the Friday – Parents and pupils will have flexibility with time. Many staff are trying a ‘Home Learning Wall’ where pupils are provided with various ‘bricks’ to complete. These will vary according to age, stage and ability of pupils. Pupils can, if directed by teacher, chose to miss some bricks or be guided to compulsory tasks. Worksheets and reading tasks will still be used alongside more creative tasks. There will also be opportunity for a child to record other learning they have undertaken outwith the classroom – clubs, activities, hobbies and interests. This ‘make’, ‘say’, ‘write and ‘do’ model follows National and Edinburgh Assessment framework guidelines. In line with council policy, pupils who are absent from school holidays during term time will not be provided with additional work. Learning at home, will, of course, be supported if long-term absence is on medical grounds.

Homelearning – revised policy & practice June 2013