Pschool in homework

Unsurprisingly, technology is playing an increasingly important part in homework. Some schools use online reading schemes such as Bug Club, where teachers allocate e-books of the appropriate level, or subscription services like SAM Learning to set cross-curricular tasks.

This could be literacy or numeracy worksheets (for example an exercise where children have to compare the weights of different household items), a short piece of writing (such as a recount of a school trip) or work relating to the class topic (find out five facts about the Great Fire of London ).

Most schools publish their homework policy on the school website, telling parents exactly what to expect. ‘Teachers should make their expectations very clear in terms of deadlines and how long it should take, and should also differentiate tasks to suit the level of the pupil,’ adds Steph.

In Years 5 and 6, children may have two or three pieces of homework each week. ‘The amount begins to increase to prepare children for SATs and the transition to secondary school,’ says Steph. These activities might include maths worksheets, researching a topic, book reviews and grammar exercises.