Home Learning Policy

Date Reviewed:         April 2026

Next Review:            This is a live policy and the Headteacher is responsible for maintaining its accuracy. Any required amendments should be sent direct to the document owner.

At The Royal School our vision is to light up our communities and the world through being -  Big thinkers – Resilient - Independent - Generous - Honest - Team Players

At The Royal School we see the aims of home learning to be:

•          To develop a habit of reviewing learning independently on a daily basis
•          To support the parent-school relationship and help parents become part of the learning team
•          To ensure children are given opportunity to embed learning and to support children with a level of independence matched to their age group
•          To follow interests in greater depth
•          To consolidate and practice skills learnt at school

Introduction

Home learning is anything that children do outside the normal school day that contributes to their learning in response to guidance from the school. Home learning encompasses a whole variety of activities instigated by teachers and parents/carers to support children’s learning.

We recognise that the time and resources available limit the educational experience that any school by itself can provide; children benefit greatly therefore from the mutual support of parents/carers and teachers in encouraging them to learn both at home and at school. Indeed we see home learning as an important way of establishing a successful dialogue between teachers and parents/carers. One of the aims of our school is for children to develop a habit of being independent learners. We believe that home learning is one of the ways in which children can acquire the skill and habit of independent learning. 

Home learning plays a positive role in building an independent study habit that will be useful in later life. We acknowledge the important role of play and free time in a child’s growth and development. While home learning is important, it should not prevent children from taking part in the wide range of out-of-school clubs and organisations that play an important part in the lives of many children. We are well aware that children spend more time at home than at school, and we believe they develop their skills, interests and talents to the full only when parents/carers encourage them to make maximum use of the experiences and opportunities that are available outside of school.

Every child is issued with an age appropriate reading record book and from Year 1 a home learning folder.  This book and folder should go home every day and come back to school the next morning.

Reading books aligned to the children's phonics level or reading level will be sent home daily and the children are also encouraged to borrow books from the school library to share at home. In Wrens we encourage the children to share a book and read to an adult for 10-15mins daily. These reading sessions should be fun and give the child the opportunity to talk about the pictures and the story as well as read the words. As the children progress up through the school the amount of time spent reading should increase as the child's stamina and fluency increases. As well as encouraging the children to read independently for pleasure, it is importanat that children all through the school continue to read to an adult daily so they can discuss the book, stories, characters and plots, as well as new vocabulary. 

 From Year 1 the children will be given a Bingo home learning grid from which they can choose activities to complement and support learning in school. We encourage the children to bring their home learning into school to be shared and celebrated with their classes. 

We want all of our children to develop fluency in number skills so the children will be encouraged to practise and learn number bonds and the times tables. Children from Year 1 will participate in a weekly '99 Club' multiplication challenge that gradually becomes more challenging as the children's number skills improve. 

When they are ready, the children will be given spellings to learn at home which they will be tested on weekly. Teachers, in collaboration with parents, may also give other home learning tasks to individual children which will support their learning in school, for example, handwriting tasks. 

Pupils with Special Educational Needs

When we set home learning, we ensure that all tasks are appropriate to the ability of the child. If a child has special needs, we endeavor to adapt any task set so that all children can contribute in a positive way. When setting home learning to children who are named on our list of those with special educational needs, we may refer to Individual Education Plans (IEPs).

The Role of Parents/Carers

Parents/carers have a vital role to play in their child’s education, and home learning is an important part of this process. We ask parents to encourage their child to complete the home learning tasks that are set. We invite them to help their children as they feel necessary and provide them with the sort of environment that allows children to do their best. Parents/carers can support their child by providing a good working space at home, by enabling their child to visit the library regularly, and by discussing the work that their child is doing. If parents/carers have any problems or questions about home learning, they should, in the first instance, contact the child’s class teacher.  We encourage children to come back to the class teacher with questions if they are unclear about their home learning or need support.

Monitoring and Review

It is the responsibility of the Headteacher to agree and monitor the school home learning policy. Our Governing Body may, at any time, request from our Headteacher feedback on the way home learning is organised in our school.