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PRACTICE
Homework can take a variety of forms:
- Reading
- Writing – including extended writing for at least 20% of HWKs set.
- Research
- Interviews
- Practical activity / practising / rehearsing / memorising
- Watching / observing
- Drawing
- Tape recording
- ICT activities
- Problem solving
This wide variety of tasks should always underpin the relevant learning objective, and whilst there is such variety, setting time limits should be only an approximate guide to the actual time students spend on out-of-class study, and the main purpose is to establish the routine and habit of regular work.
Year 7 – 3 X 20 minutes per day
Year 8 – 3 X 20-30 minutes per day
Year 9 – 3 X 30 minutes per day
Years 10 + 11 – 2 X 60 minutes per day
Post-16 – 2 X 60 minutes per subject per week
Staff must complete the homework record forms and send them to the office (as per procedure) in order for each day’s HOMEWORK HELPLINE to be updated.
Time limits can help:
- Students with SEN often work more slowly and can feel overburdened unless homework tasks are manageable within the allocated time.
- Some tasks have no actual time limit, such as reading, learning spellings, table or vocabulary, so a time allocation can assist in focussing the task.
Consultation – utilising home support
Any effective homework programme depends on the quality of the partnership with parents.
Parents should expect homework to be regularly marked and this should be in line with the School marking policy.
Through newsletters, parents’ evenings and student planners we need to explain and demonstrate how homework supports learning. Parental support and collaboration is essential and we will be encouraging parents to:
- Provide appropriate conditions
- Work with the student where appropriate (reading, spelling and research etc.)
- Check time spent
- Ensure work is completed and taken to school on time
- Signing and / or making comments in student planner.
It is desirable that each department should produce a short “How you can help” guide to be sent home.
Assessment – Giving feedback / meaning and manageability
A key issue is how we use homework, and the assessment of it to set students targets for improvement and make them aware of their own development.
Rapid marking and return of homework within five school days is essential if it is to be perceived as important. This is made practical by the following techniques for assessment:
- Selecting one aspect: mark in detail ONE aspect of work, e.g. opening and concluding paragraphs with the rest skimmed for accuracy of content.
- Build into the plan for the task a marking strategy. Let students know what areas will be focussed on – e.g. ignore irregularities in surface features if you are checking and awarding for understanding or interpretations.
Written homework tasks should be marked using the school marking policy.
Monitoring
There should be regular homework reviews both within curriculum teams and across the school. There will be a rolling programme of homework reviews for each year group and the purpose of such reviews will be to:
- Gain insight into the range and quality of work set by each curriculum area and individual subject teacher.
- Assist the curriculum teams with their own ongoing evaluation and development of good practice in homework.
- Monitor the quality and quantity of homework being set to a particular year group.
- Gain an insight into how students across the ability range are coping with homework and monitoring the use of differentiation.
Monitoring on a weekly basis should include:
- Tutors checking student planners
- Subject teachers ensuring students write homework in planners and understand tasks.
- Subject teachers record returns.
Rewards and Sanctions
Regular and consistent use should be made of merits, gold slips and certificates in line with the school policy. It is valid to use such rewards for effort and completion alongside quality of homework produced.
Recognition in year and key stage assemblies could also contribute to raising the value of homework completion.
Homework defaulters should be treated consistently within Curriculum teams. Notifying parents through the use of daily reports or comments in planners should be used alongside the use of detentions. It is vital to remember that failure to complete homework should be investigated before sanctions applied, and parents should be reminded to put a note in planner is there are circumstances to be considered.
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