Homework policy and guidelines

Rationale & Aims

Homework is work undertaken by students at home. It is an integral, planned part of the curriculum and the learning experiences of our students. It is set by the teacher, appraised by the teacher and forms part of the overall curriculum and learning opportunities experienced by each pupil.  Our policy is based on guidelines developed by the Department for Children, Schools and Families which were, in turn, based on good practice observed in successful schools in England.


See, for example http://www.dfes.gov.uk/homework/second.pdf.


We require students to complete homework for a variety of reasons.  We wish them to see studying as part of the whole of their lives, not just school; we wish them to reinforce their learning in school by work at home; we wish to involve parents in the education of their children; we wish to assist our students in developing self discipline and self organisation, and we wish students to relate their life and experiences at home to their work at school.

Homework should be a positive experience for pupils and not detract from their family life. There should still be time at the end of the day for children to relax, play and spend time with their family.

 

Setting Homework

Students’ homework will be written in their homework diaries when set by themselves or by the class teacher. Deadlines for completion will always be clearly defined and students will use homework diaries to record what is expected of them. Teachers will keep a record of how students fulfil their homework tasks as part of their record keeping. 

If students are struggling to complete tasks in the given time the given time at home they should be commended for trying and be allowed to stop.  It is helpful for parents to communicate this to the relevant teacher through a note written in the student’s homework diary in circumstances where the homework has not been able to be completed.
 

Guidelines: Content

Teachers will set students homework at a level appropriate to their age and understanding. Throughout the school we expect students to take home reading books and/or library books.  We expect parents to enjoy these books with their children or for students to use these books in their homework.  As students progress through the school the load of homework will increase as follows:
 

Year 1    Reading books and/or sound books

Year 2    The addition of spellings to learn

Year 3    The above plus an item of homework each week related to a core subject

Year 4/5   The above plus two items of homework each week

Year 6    The above plus three or four items of homework each week

Year 7 & above  A daily homework exercise set by subject teachers

 

Homework will be related to school work but will be achievable by the student without input from any adult. It will not be necessary for parents to teach their children in order for the homework to be achieved but it is hoped that parents will take an interest in the tasks. These tasks will also inform parents as to the nature of the work going on in class and the achievement levels of their children.

Homework may, amongst other things, be reinforcement of objectives learned in class, it may be gathering information for using in a lesson or it may be the completion of work unfinished in class.  There should always be a purpose to homework and it is never given out as a ‘time-filler’.


Guidelines: Time

Homework tasks should not take an excessive amount of time. This varies in relation to the student’s year group.  The following are the guidelines we follow, in total hours, for each year group:
 

Years 1 & 2                          1 hour per week

Years 3, 4 & 5                      1.5 hours per week

Year 6                                    30 minutes per day

Year 7                                    45 to 90 minutes per day

Year 8                                    45 to 90 minutes per day

Year 9 and above                 90-120 minutes per day

 

In the senior school, a homework timetable is provided for students to try to ensure that homework does not over-accumulate on certain days. This should mean that each student has around 3 subjects of around 30-40 minutes each per evening. Each subject should set a maximum of 2 pieces of homework per week. It is expected that teachers will allow students larger periods of time to complete longer homework tasks.

Teachers will mark homework and give feedback to students as part of the classroom routine.