Homework

Well planned homework is a key aspect of the teaching and learning process which helps students to embed their understanding and to learn to work independently. We consider the appropriate setting, collecting, marking and monitoring of homework to be crucial processes which staff, students and parents must understand and play their part in. 

AIM 

• Our commitment to high quality teaching will be demonstrated through:  

• Setting homework regularly.  

• Setting homework that is purposeful and drives student progress.  Where appropriate, adapting the homework tasks set for individuals.  

• Collecting, checking and marking homework promptly. 

WHAT IS APPROPRIATE HOMEWORK? 

• The best homework will do some or all of the following:  

• Either develop a skill or prepare the ground for future work.  

• Help students to reflect on classwork or consolidate ideas.  

• Require students to think for themselves and apply knowledge indifferent situations.  

• Help students to practise important skills.  

• Require students to manage their time and resources effectively. 

Homework will not be appropriate if it:  

• Does not fit in with the current context of learning in class.  

• Does not challenge pupils- e.g. simple ‘bringing-in’ tasks.  

• Is too challenging or does not take into account different ability levels within the class.  Reinforces low expectations in class- e.g. routinely asking students to ‘simply finish off’ classwork.  

• Sets unrealistic expectations that may not be achievable for all- e.g. asking pupils to visit a museum in London.  

• Incites students to put themselves at risk. 

SETTING HOMEWORK 

• When setting homework, teachers will always:  

• Provide homework instruction on google classroom.  

• Inform students of homework set in the lesson and via google classroom  

• Clarify the reasons for the homework and its place within the wider context of learning.  

• Clarify the task to be done and provide examples if possible.  

• Share the success criteria for the homework. 

HOME/SCHOOL COMMUNICATION
When homework is set, it should be communicated clearly to both students and parents via google classroom. 

ADAPTATION
Depending upon the group, it is possible that homework will need to be adapted. Staff should consider the abilities and needs of their students, and adjust tasks accordingly. In some cases, a separate task may need to be set for some students whose ability is either much higher or much lower than others in the class. More often, a single task can be adapted by setting separate expectations based on pupils’ target grades.

MARKING AND FEEDBACK 

Homework submission will be checked by staff on the due date. Students will receive feedback on homework within one week of submission. Not all homework will be explicitly marked by teachers, however students should expect one of the following to happen:  

• Work is marked by the teacher and written feedback given.  

• Work is marked by the teacher and verbal feedback given.  

• Work is peer-marked by a fellow pupil according to guidelines given by the teacher.  

• Work is peer-assessed by a fellow pupil and peer feedback given, according to teacher guidance.  Work is checked as a class and students identify their own action points for improvement based on whole-class feedback from the teacher.  

• Work may be automatically marked by a learning platform, for example google quiz, Seneca or similar. 

MONITORING 

The teacher of each class is responsible for setting, checking and marking homework according to the schedules above. The HOF and Deputy HOF of each faculty are responsible for ensuring:  

• That homework is set regularly by all teachers in their faculty.  

• That homework is of appropriate quality and meets the needs of students.  

• That homework links appropriately to the scheme of work being taught.  

• That homework is promptly and regularly marked. 

WHAT IF STUDENTS FAIL TO PRODUCE HOMEWORK?

At the set deadline, teachers should check all students’ homework and make an initial assessment as to the quality of each submitted piece. Any pupils who have failed to complete homework, or whose homework does not meet the success criteria set should be logged on Arbor using the following sanction:

Incomplete / Unsatisfactory homework (Level 1 Negative)

REPEATED FAILURE TO PRODUCE HOMEWORK 

If, on two consecutive occasions, students fail to produce homework, or fail to complete homework to a high enough standard, then the following sanction applies which will trigger a central detention:

Frequently Iicomplete / Unsatisfactory homework (Level 2 Negative)

Students should always be informed of any sanctions given for homework, and where necessary home should be contacted to discuss any issues surrounding the completion of homework.