Home Learning: A Recovery Curriculum Pathway

One of the key pathways in our recovery curriculum will be developing the use of ‘Home Learning’ as a means to support Barwick pupils to meet or exceed their year group expectations by Summer 2021. At Barwick, it will become a key aspect of our blended learning approach.

We want to ensure that your child masters the important knowledge and skills within their current year group, whilst finding creative and regular opportunities to consolidate learning from the previous year, in particular potential lost learning.

What is the rationale behind our approach to Home Learning?

According to the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), the benefit of primary children doing additional work at home equates to a “+2 months” impact against a control of doing nothing. If this figure is to be taken at face value, it represents two months out of three that children have missed out on during lockdown. As a school, we feel that this is a strong justification to evolve Home Learning in school- and to do it well.

The EEF further cites that ‘short, focused tasks which relate directly to what is being taught, and which are built upon in school, are likely to be more effective’.

Through Home Learning, pupils will be encouraged to participate in a range of regular, bitesize activities which correspond directly with work done in class. Tasks will either be part of:

• Consolidation (revisiting learned knowledge and skills) or
• Preparation (preparing for knowledge and skills yet to be learned)

Teachers in each year group will generate a clear, sequential scheme which is bespoke to their class, evolves over time, and adapts to the needs of individual children.

What will Home Learning look like?

• “Little and often” is the key message with Home Learning moving forward. Each task will be designed in a way that is meaningful, manageable and motivating.
• The Home Learning schedule will be built around bite size, time-specific tasks which take no more than 5-10 minutes to complete.
• The tasks are designed to set children up for success in class, and to aid with the retention of knowledge and skills into children’s long term memory.

How will I know what the Home Learning is each week? Where will I find it?

• Home Learning will launch in each class on Friday 18^th September 2020. Initially, it will be communicated on a Friday, setting out Home Learning for the week ahead.
• The impact of the approach will be monitored, with the intention of increasing the frequency of the bitesize tasks, appropriate to each Key Stage.
• On the school website, Class Pages will be updated in the ‘Home Learning’ section. 
• Tasks will follow the same structure in each class, clearly outlining what the task is, how long it will take, and where it fits into your child’s learning in school.
• Throughout school, this will be displayed in a grid similar to the one below:

• Grids will be colour coded to reflect the subject content of each task.

How will I know if my child’s teacher has checked my child’s Home Learning?

• Children will be required to bring their Home Learning books in every day, contained inside their plastic wallets.
• Stamps and verbal feedback will be given to children.
• Teachers will hold short sessions in class to celebrate children’s participation in Home Learning, to clarify weekly tasks with the children and to provide regular feedback.