Homework
Homework is a key aspect of learning at Hastings High School and is central to our ethos of “Care and Excellence for All”. Our intention is to provide the best possible opportunity for all pupils to consolidate and extend learning within and beyond the curriculum, and to foster a love of learning beyond the classroom environment.
Following a review of homework conducted throughout 2022, we have taken on board comments and feedback from over 500 pupils, parents and staff, and researched current best practice to formulate a new homework policy within the school. The policy can be viewed on the policy pages of the main website.
Hastings homework policy in a nutshell :
1: All Hastings Pupils have homework to complete each day. Where none has been formally set by teachers, pupils are expected to choose from a variety of tasks as outlined in our supercurricular offer, those offered by subjects or attend an extra curricular activity.
2: Pupils, teachers and parents are all expected to utilise the Classcharts app to aid organisation and completion of independent home study tasks.
3: Pupils are expected to follow the recommended time on homework appropriate for their Year group (outlined below) to prevent work overload and maintain progress.
4: Teachers will follow 5 key homework principles to ensure that homework is engaging and purposeful (outlined below)
4: Sanctions for non completion or rewards will be issued for homework tasks.
How much homework?
We appreciate that some pupils may be susceptible to overloading themselves with work, causing harm to mental health or wellbeing. The table below provides recommended guidance on how long pupils should be spending on homework tasks each school day. The guidance is based upon recommendations from the Department of Education (2014) and research conducted by Oxford University and University College London.
These fall in line with expectations linked to the progress of our learners within our Hastings family. Pupils spending this amount of time on independent learning will benefit from consolidating and extending learning, and maximise their progress throughout their time at the school and help reduce exam stress in Year 11.
** Please remember that not all homework is written and may be reading or revision based, and that all learners have access to homework via the school website even when none has been formally set.
How do we ensure homework is useful as a school?
We base our homework provision on the Educational Endowment Foundations key principles of homework provision:
1. LINK TASKS TO LEARNING
“Planned and focused activities are more beneficial than homework which is more regular but may be routine or not linked with what is being learned in class”.
2. BE MOTIVATIONAL
“The broader evidence suggests that homework should not be used as a punishment or penalty for poor performance”.
3. BE ENGAGING
“A variety of tasks with different levels of challenge is likely to be beneficial”.
4. FEEDBACK
“The broader evidence suggests that the quality of homework is more important than the quantity. Pupils should receive specific and timely feedback on homework”.
5. MODELLING
“the purpose of homework should be made clear to children (e.g. to increase a specific area of knowledge, or fluency in a particular area)”.
Pros of having homework...
Consolidates and extends learning completed in class
Develops positive attitudes to learning
Improves time management & organisation
Pupils can focus on areas of need or interest
Improved parental engagement and school communications
Provides scope for additional teacher feedback
Reward effort and achievement
Reduces "cramming" stress before assessments and examinations
Avoiding detentions!
Cons of having homework....
Homework tasks that are boring and are irrelevant - at Hastings we aim to offer a variety of tasks and the opportunity to complete both supercurricular and extra curricular activities in our offer
Time could be spent doing better things - we often think the same! But when else can you plug knowledge gaps, boost understanding and develop independent organisation and study skills essential for success in later life?
Homework causes friction between parents, students and teachers - only when it's not completed! The vast majority of parents and learners value homework at Hastings.
Teachers don't value it and don't even mark it! We guarantee that teachers will acknowledge homework within 48 hours of submission and provide meaningful feedback, and reward appropriately effort and achievement.