Author: Naimish Gohil
Posted: 10 May 2017
Estimated time to read: 4 mins
Homework is an integral part to the learning process and as such, each school should have a clear homework policy readily available to teachers, students and parents that sets out your expectations when it comes to home-learning.
A clear and effective homework policy will mean that quality and quantity of homework can be easily tracked and all stakeholders are on the same page. We've created our own Homework Policy that you can adapt for use in your school or use as an outline when creating your own policy:
1. Introduction
This is the school’s policy for the provision of homework to pupils and has been drawn up in accordance with guidance from the DFE and Sutton Education Trust. It must be recognised that parents play a vital role in the education of their child, therefore it is important and valuable to have a good home-school partnership, of which a homework policy must address.
2. Homework - A definition
Homework is defined as any work or activity that students are asked to undertake outside of lesson time, either on their own or with the aid of parents and carers. Homework doesn’t necessarily have to be completed at home but can be completed in free periods and after-school homework clubs. We see work completed outside of lesson time as a valuable part of a student’s learning.
3. The purpose of homework
The school regards the purpose of homework as being to:
- Provide learners with the opportunity to work on an activity that is relevant to learning outcomes, or that contributes to gaining qualifications/accreditations.
- Develop an effective partnership between the school, parents and carers in pursuing the academic aims of the school and the development of their child.
- Consolidate and reinforce skills and understanding prior to the following lesson, particularly in English and Mathematics.
- Extend learning across the curriculum, for example through additional reading.
- Encourage pupils as they get older to develop the confidence, self-discipline and independence to develop organisational skills.
As a school, we encourage children to pursue out-of-school activities. Homework should be used to effectively reinforce and/or extend what is learned in school. We hope that children will feel a sense of personal satisfaction in a task completed well and that their efforts will be recognised and praised both at home and at school.
Homework tasks should be undertaken to the best of their ability. We hope that parents and carers will be willing and able to give their active support to ensure that work completed at home is done so conscientiously and in the best possible conditions.
4. Current practice
At the beginning of the academic year, each year group will be informed about what is expected of them with regards to homework.
5. Time to be spent completing homework
Based on current good practice, we ask pupils to spend the following amount of time on homework:
Years 7 to 9: 1 - 2 hours per day
Years 10 & 11: 1 - 3 hours per day
Pupils may be expected to undertake a variety of homework activities. These activities will differ depending on the teacher and subject. Examples include: Reading tasks, numeracy tests, spelling tests, quizzes, project work, classwork extensions, coursework, essays and research activities. As a general rule, teachers will not usually set substantial homework tasks to be completed for the next day, pupils will have at least two days to complete any work set.
6. Pupil feedback
The school recognises the importance of providing prompt and actionable feedback to pupils, parents and carers. Feedback will include how well homework tasks have been tackled, and the knowledge, skills and understanding developed.
A variety of methods will be used to provide feedback, such as an appropriate comment of praise, appreciation or area for improvement. Any given feedback will vary according to the age of the pupil.
7. Where to access the school homework policy
The school will use newsletters to inform parents and carers about the school’s homework policy and secure their involvement. The homework policy, as well as useful information for parents in supporting their child’s learning, is displayed on the school website.
Parents’ Evenings and New Intake Evenings will be used to promote this partnership and obtain feedback (e.g. English and Mathematics workshops). Homework questionnaires will be used where appropriate to ascertain parent views. Parents will be consulted about any significant changes to the policy that are being considered by the governing body.
8. Reviewing the policy
The homework policy will be reviewed every year. Where significant changes to the policy are felt to be required, proposals will be presented to the governing body and parents consulted.
