Homework at Western House Academy

During the week, children will have opportunities to learn new concepts and ideas and explore them in lots of meaningful and engaging ways. They will also develop their skills and knowledge based on what they have learnt previously, building on the ideas they already have.

At WHA we believe that homework is an opportunity to revisit, review and reflect on the learning that has taken place in the week. We believe homework is not an assessment tool for teachers as they are constantly making observations about the children’s understanding and progress. It is a time for the children to remember the skills and knowledge gained from the week and apply it at home in different contexts. We do encourage the children to share the tasks with parents and relatives and talk with them about what they have learnt and what they need to do. This dialogue is another opportunity for the children to make meaning of and articulate their learning from the week.

How is homework set?

Homework is mainly set on an online platform however there are paper copies available on request. Currently we are using ‘Serial Mash’, ‘Google Classroom’ and ‘Times Table Rockstars’. Children are given time in school to familiarise themselves with these platforms and how they can access the activities.

What homework is set?

Homework tasks are focused on English and Maths skills. There are also the 'Project Passport' activities which are detailed below. The tasks set reflect the learning completed in the week and the children should be familiar with them. The children will also have a reading book. In Reception and Year 1, these books will relate specifically to the learning they have done in their phonics lesson. In Years 2 – 6, the books will be related to their current ability in ‘Accelerated Reader’ and their progress and attainment in recent quizzes. For more information on Accelerated Reader, look in our English pages in the Curriculum tab.

Project Based Learning 'Project Passports!'
At WHA we use a project based approach to our learning where each half term each year group has a focus topic. This might be a focus on a period in history, a famous person, a geographical location or something similar. It is then the goal to link the children's learning to this topic wherever possible. This means the children have a  context to apply and their learning can be tailored and themed to suit their current needs for that topic. At the end of the topic the children then celebrate their learning for this topic with a special outcome, often to parents or other children around the school.

To support this approach further we use 'Project Passports!' At the start of a new topic we will be giving children a 'Project Passport!' activity sheet that contains five mini projects. These projects cover a range of curriculum areas and relate directly to the topic being covered in that half term. The children have the whole half term to choose and complete two out of the five topics and bring them in to school or post on Google Classroom to share. We want the children to really engage with the new topic and encourage them to explore their learning further at home. We want the children to be as creative as possible with these 'Project Passport!' activities and hope to share and display them in school. 

Parental support is most certainly encouraged with the 'Project Passports!' as we want to share the children's learning with those at home and encourage as much excitement and imagination as possible!