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Homework

Principles behind Homework

  1. Homework provides a link between school and home.
  2. It allows parents to spend time with their children and to become involved in their learning.
  3. To keep parents informed about what their child is doing in school and how they are coping with the tasks.
  4. To enable child to complete or extend work done in class.
  5. To reinforce and or practice skills e.g. spellings, tables, writing, reading etc.
  6. To enable children to do research.

To help the child with homework, parents should:

  1. Set aside a quiet regular time for doing homework.
  2. Ensure the child is sitting comfortably at a table or desk.
  3. Allow time for oral as well as written work.
  4. Encourage child to keep books and copies clean and tidy.
  5. If your child is working independently – be available to help and show an interest in what is being done. Praise your child’s efforts at every opportunity.
  6. Communicate any problems that your child is having with homework, to teacher.
  7. Check homework and sign homework notebook, and let teacher know if for any reason the homework (or part of it) cannot be done.

Time limits for each class

These time limits are only rough guidelines, as the amount of time a child takes to do homework can vary, depending on the child.

Junior Infants: Where applicable do words and/or reading.

Senior Infants: When Shared Reading begins (usually end of 1st term) children change their book once a week. Parents need to read the book with children and return it each week.

1st Class: 20 Minutes to half hour 2nd Class half hour to 40 minutes
3rd Class: 40 minutes 4th Class 50 minutes
5th Class: 1 hour 6th Class 1 hour

Homework is given Monday to Thursday (inclusive) – no homework at weekends.

Learn Together Programme: Try to be aware of the theme(s) being covered in school and watch out for opportunities to reinforce or extend these at home.