Frequently Asked Questions

1 Questions Teachers ask

1.1 Do the exercises have to be done in order?
The exercises and tasks can be done in any order and teachers are free to choose which to set. You can choose the exercises you feel will best consolidate recent class work, revise earlier work or focus on any areas causing difficulty.

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1.2 Homework is not a part of our school curriculum or programme. How can you help?
Most primary schools fall into two categories: a) homework is not set at all and b) the setting of homework in the school is spasmodic, irregular. Because the setting of homework is likely to have considerable implications, for example on home-school agreements, marking policies, parental involvement and so on, we have prepared guidance notes on presenting the case for homework to
- heads of departments and senior management teams
- teachers and other staff
- governors.

As well, and after purchase, there are additional guidance notes to assist schools with presenting and explaining the principles and practice of homework, and how Workabooks will assist with this.

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1.3 How many exercises are there in total?
Each Workabook has a total of 90 exercises, in three sections; learning, practice and thinking, each containing 30 exercises (a total of 72 exercises for Books 2 and 6, with 24 in each of learning, practice and thinking. This is to accommodate revision for SATS). One exercise from each section can be set each week.

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1.4 Why are there only 30 exercises, and not 39, the same as the school year?
As the school year is about 38/39 weeks, there will be some weeks when you may choose not to set homework because of class trips, holidays, topic work, or special homework you wish to set yourself. Having 30 exercises gives flexibility for these things and also ensures children will have time to complete the book by the year end.

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1.5 Can I still set my own exercises sometimes instead of the Workbook exercises?
Absolutely. There are additional writing pages towards the back of the Workabook specifically for special homework projects.

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1.6 Are the writing pages blank, lined or square?
Current options are:

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1.7 How are the exercises linked to the Primary National Strategies for literacy and mathematics?
The mathematics and literacy Workabooks have close links with the Primary National Strategies for literacy and mathematics. This means both teachers and parents can be confident that children are being given practice in the key skills they need.

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1.8 How do Workabooks cater for varying ability?
Workabooks have been designed to enable all children to succeed and gain in confidence: The Learning Exercises (Key Facts in Mathematics and World of Words in Literacy) give all pupils the chance to learn these in their own time at home and to test themselves.

The Practice Exercises are at three levels; A, B and C. Level A is a consolidation of work done in the previous year and helps children to be confident and ready for the work they will be doing this year. Level B is a good basic level and develops understanding of this year’s work. Level C is more challenging and inspires children to move on to more advanced work. We recommend that all children do level A and almost all try level B. You might want to encourage children to try level C too, with help from parents or carers if needed.

The Thinking Tasks have been designed to be within the scope of the vast majority of pupils, particularly as these are done at home where children can take their time and get help where needed.

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1.9 How should the answers to the Practice Exercises be used?
Full answers to the Practice Exercises are available to Workabook customers to download and then save onto your PC from this website. You choose how to use the answers: try projecting these onto your interactive whiteboard!

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1.10 English is not the home language for some of our parents - how can you help?
Taking an interest in a child’s homework does not depend on speaking English. The aim of Workabooks is to encourage all parents and carers to work with their children and their school in a rewarding partnership. To help, we have introductory guidance notes for parents, available to download from this website. These downloads become available after purchase of Workabooks.

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1.11 How many times a week should homework be set?
A typical week’s homework would be one task or exercise from each section. Most pupils should be able to do the three exercise/tasks comfortably within the time recommended by the DCFS for their year. Click here to see the DCFS guidelines.

Teachers may like to choose the same day each week to set the work and the same day each week for pupils to bring their Workabooks back to school. It is normally a good idea to give the pupils several days to do the work as they may need help or need time to do some simple research.

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1.12 Is all of the syllabus covered?
Workabooks cover the majority of the mathematics and literacy frameworks. However, the size of the books and the time allocated to homework mean that it is not possible for every single aspect of the year’s work to be included. Workabooks, therefore, focus on those parts of the syllabus where extra practice, consolidation and revision can be most beneficial.

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1.13 As homework is not compulsory, what should I do if a parent or child refuses to do homework?
Refer to your school’s policy documents covering this area. Have a look also at your school’s governing body's decisions on matters of principle. These should indicate how your school approaches such issues.

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1.14 How should the homework be marked?
You can mark Workabook homework in a variety of ways, for example:

- Learning Exercises could be tested orally as class work or, more formally, as part of a test.

- For the Practice Exercises, answers are available to Workabook customers to download and then save onto your PC from this website. You choose how to use the answers: try projecting these onto your interactive whiteboard!

- There are no fixed outcomes for the Thinking Tasks. These could be discussed in class or you could look through this work and comment individually.

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1.15 Do I have to start the Workabook at the beginning of the autumn term?
Workabooks are designed to be completed over 30 weeks, so if you miss a week or two, this can be made up later in the year. Some teachers also set some exercises over half term and holiday periods, gaining additional “homework time” during the year.

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2 Questions Parents ask

2.1 I’ve been given the answer sheets - should I let my child see these?
Ask your school or your child’s teacher – they should be able to give you guidance on this. There is no fixed rule - how the answer sheets are used varies from school to school.

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2.2 What if my child takes a long time to complete the homework that has been set?
Children vary enormously in the time they take but the beauty of homework is that each child can take as much time as they need. Normally children will get faster as they get used to doing their homework, so do not worry if they seem to take rather a long time at the beginning. If it continues to be a problem, consult your child’s teacher.

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2.3 What if my child is too tired after school to do the homework?
Schools normally give children several days to do their homework, so try to find a regular time when your child is not too tired. It doesn’t have to be straight after school; it could be over the weekend or after school, but once they’ve recovered from their day! It should also be a time when you are around and able to give support if needed.

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2.4 What if my child can’t do an exercise?
You can help your child by looking with them at what is being asked, carefully and calmly. The exercise is very likely to be something they have already done at school and they may just need to be reminded of this and encouraged to try. Make it clear to them that the important thing is for them to do their best. Where necessary you can prompt them towards the correct answer.

If this doesn’t help, it can be a good idea to leave any exercises your child cannot do and concentrate on the ones they can do, to build up confidence. Then you can go back to the problem exercises another day.

When your child needs considerable input from you, make sure you tick the ‘with help’ box to indicate this to the teacher. You might also like to add a note if you feel your child has had particular difficulty with certain concepts.

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2.5 What if I can’t do the exercise either?
If you’ve you been given the answer sheets, you could try working backwards from the answer. Have a look, too, in the Workabook itself at the pages of Key Facts – you may get inspiration from these!

You – and your child - can always ask others for help. You might have a neighbour, friend or relative who would be delighted to give you assistance!

If the exercises still remain a problem, do write a note to your child’s teacher on the answer page. They will be very happy to help you.

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2.6 Should I push my child to work faster and to do more exercises than the teacher has set?
Encourage – rather than push - your child to do all they can. As they grow in confidence they will work faster and want to do more.

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2.7 Do I have to write a comment each time?
A comment is not always necessary but can be useful to alert the teacher to any special achievement or difficulty.

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2.8 What is the purpose of ticking the boxes "With Help", "Alone" and "Confidently"?
These help the teacher to understand how your child is progressing. You should tick the one that best describes how your child did their homework:

With Help – if your child needed help to do the homework
Alone – if your child worked alone
Confidently – if your child worked alone and did the work confidently

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3 Ordering and Purchasing Workabooks

3.1 What is the deadline for orders to be sure of delivery for the start of the autumn term 2007?
You must order no later than 30th June 2007.

3.2 Can I buy single copies - to replace lost books or to give to children joining the class, for example?
We strongly recommend that you buy a few spares at the time of placing your main order to cover loss and/or the arrival of new pupils. However, you can order single copies at a later date. Please allow 10 working days for delivery.

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Acknowledgements

Management and Production:
Wendy Griffiths	Managing director
Roger Kennedy	Creative director
Ellis Nadler	Covers and character illustrations
Paula Sayer	Senior designer
Mike Verdi-Cotts	Production co-ordinator
Lyn Rogers	Scriptwriter
and with important contributions from:
Russell Anderson
Phil Bushell
David Raitt
Tara Roskell
Belinda Wakefield
Graeme Wilson

Writers and Contributors:
Deirdre Howard-Williams	Series author and editor
with co-authors and contributors:
Elizabeth Bryant-Patch	Mathematics 3
Anita Loughrey	Literacy 4 and 5
Nic Hunt	Mathematics 6
Glenys O’Connell	Literacy 3
and:
Nina Birch	Literacy advisor and critical reader
Rowan Waller	Mathematics advisor and critical reader

Technical Team:
The Alphasoft Consultancy, SW6 4QP	www.alphasoft.co.uk
Connekt, HP4 1EH	Printers
SOS Direct, LU4 8EL	Fulfilment

Contact us

The Primary School Homework Book Company Limited

PO Box 520

Torquay TQ1 9EQ

T: +44 (0) 845 122 8623

F: +44 (0) 845 089 2337

info@workabook.co.uk

www.workabook.co.uk

Registered Office

666 Kenton Road

Harrow HA3 9QN

Registered Company Number 5244924

VAT Number 849 0847 87