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HINCHINGBROOKE
SCHOOL
Policy Statement
on
HOMEWORK
Drawn up by: SJE
Date: March 2004
Date adopted by Governing Body: 10.2.05
Revised:
Homework Key Stages 3 & 4
Homework supports learning. It consists of a series of tasks, varied according to the age and ability of students, to be completed out of lesson time. Homework is set to help students become independent learners who manage their time effectively. It is also designed to enable students to develop into independent and self-motivated learners.
As students get older, the amount of work they have to complete out of lessons increases. We hope to develop the skills they will need at Key Stage 4 (Years 10 and 11) by starting at Key Stage 3 (Years 7, 8 and 9).
Homework is not optional. It is set to complement the work undertaken in class and it is expected that students will complete it on time.
Subject teachers who meet classes two or three times a weeks eg the teachers of English, Maths, Science and Modern Languages, will set homework tasks each week. Teachers who meet classes only once a week will set work on at least one occasion per fortnight.
The tasks set may include any or all of the following:
- using new skills
- learning new vocabulary, tables or information
- researching information from books, other media, the internet or other people
- carrying out an investigation to generate data
- occasionally, finishing off work started in class. This should only be set as a main homework task if all students in the class need additional time to complete a piece of work.
- planning something to be completed in class
- reading a set book or reading for pleasure
In Year 7, these tasks will be short pieces of work that will take about 30 minutes each to complete. In Years 8 and 9, they may take up to about 45 minutes each. Students in Year 7 will not be expected to spend more than one hour on homework a night. Those in Years 8 and 9 could expect to spend up to one and a half hours a night.
In years 10 and 11, students should expect to spend up to 2 hours per night on homework. The core GCSE subjects, namely English, mathematics and science, will set approximately 1.5 hours homework per week, whilst option subjects will set approximately one hour. This will vary according to the ability of the students and the amount of teaching time allocated to the subject. It may, on occasion, be necessary for students to do more than two hours a night to complete all tasks to the highest possible standard.
Teachers usually allow more than one evening for students to complete homework. Some may set a project to be completed over a given period of time. In this case, the subject teacher will monitor the student’s progress on a weekly basis.
Written homework tasks will be marked and returned promptly, usually a maximum of 2 weeks, stating how well the student has done and giving advice on how the work could be improved (please refer to the Marking & Assessment policies).
Students will record in their planners what homework they have and when it is expected to be handed in.
We ask parents to support their children’s learning by:
- making sure that students do their homework at a suitable time in an appropriate place
- checking and signing planners regularly
- taking an interest in what is being done
- encouraging high standards of accuracy and presentation.
- supporting the school when punishments are used for not completing homework.
Queries about homework should be addressed to the relevant subject teacher.
March 2004
