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General Policy and detail

The school believes that homework is an essential part of a pupil's learning.Homework will be set on a regular basis, according to the allocation on the timetable. Pupils are encouraged to establish good homework habits from the beginning of Year 7. Assessment of homework forms an important part of the overall assessment, recording and reporting policy for each department.The nature, types and length of homework vary according to the age of the pupil and the subject. Homework forms a meaningful and coherent part of the work of a particular subject. Heads of department are responsible for establishing Homework Policies within their area of responsibility. Heads of department are also responsible for monitoring and evaluating the implementation of homework policies within their department.

See below for a more detailed view of homework. Back to top

Types of Homework

Homework may take a variety of forms, these may include:
1. Specially prepared tasks to extend classwork.
2. Learning homework (tables/spelling etc)
3. Research
4. Longer term assignments/projects
5. Finish class work. Back to top

Comments

Homework that depends on pupils having extensive use of reference books is usually avoided as access to such books will vary widely amongst pupils.The amount of homework gradually increases as pupils pass through the school. The amount of time spent will also vary.The number of homeworks per night will not usually exceed 3.Each pupil is provided with a pre-printed diary in which to record homework.
Subject tutors ensure that homework is always set according to the homework timetable and that pupils in their teaching groups enter the title of the homework in their diaries. Parents are asked to sign in the diary weekly and a place is provided for any comments by either staff or parents. Back to top

Lower School parental questions answered

All Pupils are issued with a homework diary at the beginning of the school year.

Q How often will my child get homework?
A 2 subjects per night - Monday to Friday

Q What kind of homework will be set?
A A large variety - for example:

learning, collecting information, reading, written work, sketching, drawing and designing, creative writing.

Some of the work will be done for the next day but some may be set over a longer period.

Q How much time should they spend on homework?
A Approx 30 minutes per subject.

Q How will I know when my son/daughter has any homework?
A Ask your son/daughter to show you their homework diary, the homework subjects will be indicated on their timetable.

Q My son/daughter often says there is no homework. Is this true?
A There will always be something to do each evening - reviewing the days work, reading, researching, learning, even if it is not specifically set by a teacher.

Q My son/daughter won't tell me about their work. What can I do?
A A common problem with children! Make sure that they have a place to work, where they aren't constantly distracted by other things going on.
* Accept that many children can work and indeed work better with music or the radio on
* Encourage them to organise/plan their work by providing files, boxes, paper clips, staples etc. So much good work gets lost.
* Check the diary - homework should be recorded and there is a space for a parent signature and comment if required. Look at the quality of work being produced - is it well presented for example.
* Do take an interest for example help them by testing learning, check spellings, read through some work.
* Encouragement does work. Please check the comments from teachers in their books and homework diary.

Q Who do I contact if I have a problem over homework?
A Your son/daughter's form tutor will discuss homework at the annual Family Review. However, if you have any concerns please contact the Head of Year (the best time for this is after school).

Q This is all very well but isn't the teacher's job to ensure homework is done?
A Yes it is, and we do, but your support is vital. Only by school and home working together will pupils achieve their best. Parents know their children best - your written comments in the homework diary would be welcomed.

Q Will you let us know if there are problems?
A Yes - we review pupil progress very carefully during Years 7, 8 and 9 and we will make individual contacts as and when necessary.

IF YOU DO NOT SEE YOUR CHILD DOING HOMEWORK OR HE/SHE SAYS THEY DO NOT HAVE ANY - PLEASE CONTACT THE SCHOOL. Back to top

Upper School parental questions answered

All pupils will be issued with a homework diary so you can check what work has been set.

Q What kind of work will be set?
A A large variety - for example:learning, collecting information, reading, written work, sketching, drawing and designing, creative writing. Some of the work will be done for the next day but some may be set over a longer period.

Q What about these 'extended pieces of work' set over a week or two?
A It is important to help pupils plan their time sensibly and not leave everything to the last minute. Some pupils find this very difficult and need help in organising their time. This becomes very important later in Year 10 and Year 11 when most subjects set course work projects.

Q How much time should be spent?
A About 30 minutes per subject with perhaps more at the weekend. Pupils cannot do GCSE standard work in lunchtimes and breaks -they should also be working at home.

Q My son/daughter often says there is no homework. Is this true?
A There will always be something to do each evening - reviewing the days work, reading, researching, learning, even if it is not specifically set by a teacher.

Q What is coursework?
A Almost all GCSE subjects require lengthy pieces of work from pupils - this is work not done in the exam room. This might be writing up a field trip, composing music, putting an art portfolio together, designing, making and evaluating an object etc. Sometimes pupils will refer to this as 'project work'. All students in Year 11 will be issued with a coursework planning timetable later this year which shows when work has to be completed ready for assessment. If you are not shown the timetable, ask to see it.

Q What about deadlines?
A Most of the work has to be marked in school to an agreed mark scheme and then sent off to the exam board. If pupils fail to meet deadlines, they will not have met the exam entry conditions and so will not be able to sit the written exam no matter how good they are at the subject.
Deadlines are important.

Q My son/daughter won't tell me about their work. What can I do?
A A common problem with teenagers? Make sure that they have a place to work, where they aren't constantly distracted by other things going on.
* Accept that many pupils can work and indeed work better with music or the radio on
* Encourage them to organise/plan their work by providing files, boxes, paper clips, staples etc. So much good work gets lost.
* Check the diary - homework should be recorded and there is a space for a parent signature and comment if required. Look at the quality of work being produced - is it well presented for example.
* Do take an interest for example to test learning tasks. Check spellings, read through some work.
* Encouragement does work. Check the comments from teachers in their books and homework diary.

Q This is all very well but isn't the teacher's job to ensure homework is done?
A Yes it is, and we do, but your support is vital. Only by school and home working together will pupils achieve their best. Parents know their children best - your written comments in the homework diary would be welcomed.

Q Will you let us know if there are problems?
A Yes - we review pupil progress very carefully during Years 10 and 11 and we will make individual contacts as and when necessary.

(IF YOU DO NOT SEE YOUR CHILD DOING HOME WORK OR HE/SHE SAYS THEYDO NOT HAVEANY- PLEASE CONTACT THE SCHOOL). Back to top

Homework Policy December 1999

1. The School believes that homework is an essential part of pupils' learning. Homework will be set regularly and pupils will be encouraged to establish good homework habits from the beginning of their careers at Willowgarth. Assessment of homework will form an important part of the overall assessment, recording and reporting policy and procedures.

2. The nature, type and length of homework will vary according to the age of the pupil and the subject. It is important that homework forms a meaningful and coherent part of the work for a particular subject. Heads of departments are responsible for establishing homework policies within their areas of responsibility. Heads of departments are also responsible for monitoring and evaluating the implementation of homework policies within their department.

3. Homework may take a variety of forms. These will include:

a) Specially prepared homework tasks that extend classwork.

b) Learning homework

c) Research assignments

d) Practical exercises

e) Longer term assignments/projects. These will require careful planning and monitoring by the subject teacher.

f) Sometimes it may be appropriate to set homework to finish off work started in class. This option must be used with care as the time required will vary greatly from pupil to pupil.

Homework that depends on pupils having extensive use of encyclopaedias and other books at home should be avoided. We must recognise that access to such reference material will vary widely amongst our pupils.

4. A homework timetable will be established by the curriculum co-ordinator who has responsibility for the main timetable at the beginning of each school year. This will provide for at least one homework slot per subject per week in each year group. It will indicate on which nights homework has to be set. Teachers should always allow a reasonable amount of time for homework to be completed. Pupils may have extra-curricular commitments on certain nights and teachers should therefore, avoid as far as possible requiring homework the following day.

5. The amount of homework will gradually increase as pupils pass through the school. The amount of time spent on homework will vary considerably between individual students. As a guide to parents, a pupil in year 7 should expect homework in two subjects each evening, each taking approximately thirty minutes to complete. Students studying for GCSE in Year 10 and 11 should expect to be doing the equivalent of at least two hours homework per evening. Homework at GCSE level is more likely to take the form of extended pieces of coursework, which may cover several weeks. Students will be expected to take an increasing level of responsibility for planning the completion of such work.

6. Each pupil will be supplied with a pre-printed diary in which to record homework. Form Tutors are responsible for issuing the diaries and for monitoring their use. Tutors should check and sign homework diaries on a regular basis, normally each week. Tutors should alert a member of the senior management team if homework is not being set according to the timetable and policy. The prime responsibility for the nature and quality of homework remains with the heads of subject departments.

7. Subject teachers should ensure that homework is always set according to the homework timetable and that pupils in their teaching groups are asked to enter the title of the homework in their diaries.

8. Parents will be encouraged to discuss homework with their children and to help them plan its completion on time. This is especially important with extended homework that nay cover a serious of homework periods. Parents are asked to sign the homework diary weekly and a space is provided for any comments they wish to make. Any problem concerning homework will be discussed at the annual Family Review. Wherever possible, parents should be encouraged to provide a suitable place, away from distractions, for their children to complete homework. It is recognised that this will not always be possible.

9 Pupils not completing homework tasks should be given departmental detention as soon as possible (this should be recorded on Bromcom). Pupils who persist in failure to complete homework will then be subject to 30 minutes detention, subject tutors to inform the appropriate form tutor. If the problems continue parents should be contacted by letter or telephone and discussion will then take place to try to resolve any problems. Persistent offenders will be referred to the Head of Year for further contact with parents.

10. All pupils will have additional access to the homework support facilities offered by Cudworth Homework Spot (situated in the Library) and in school, where I.T. resources are also available for pupils to use to enhance their school work.

11. Appropriate summaries of this homework policy will be included in the School Prospectus, Parents Handbook, Staff Handbook and in other appropriate documents. The policy will be subject to regular review. Back to top

Homework 2001/2002

Pupils at Willowgarth can normally expect to spend part of their evenings on extension work. Homework is set for a number of reasons. Primarily, at a time when classwork is becoming more active and participatory, much of it oral or involving groupwork, homework is seen as an opportunity for the individual to work independently. It enables him/her to develop powers of self-discipline and organisation, to practice study skills and to assess personal achievement. Examination programmes, too, tend to be very full, and time in the classroom to complete courses is short. Examiners assume, in constructing their syllabuses, that students will augment their classroom experience with work completed in their own time in order to achieve pass standards.

We ask parents to appreciate that homework will be set, as appropriate, for sound educational reasons and to meet course requirements. It will not be automatic, nor set solely for the sake of occupying children's time. When set, it will be a necessary extension of (or sometimes preparation for) work undertaken in school. A pupil's failure to complete homework assignments might not be immediately evident, but their teachers will observe the effect on later progress. Your child's teachers will also stress the importance of consistently working to one's own best standards.

Homework may be written, may involve reading, studying or practicing a particular skill. Pupils may be asked to undertake a simple experiment or an investigation at home. Whatever the nature of the work set, parents are urged to help the school by checking that homework is done regularly and on time by referring to the student planner, which is issued to all pupils, and by consulting the regular reports on homework which are issued in Year 10 and 11. It is most important that a habit of study is formed in early years. Reviving neglected study skills during the later examination years can be a very difficult process; too many students fail to do so.

As a guide, children might expect to spend between 15 and 30 minutes per subject on homework in years 7 to 9 and 30-45 minutes in years 10 and 11. The number of homeworks set per night will usually not exceed 3. We produce a homework timetable to ensure that work is distributed evenly across the week. Should you experience problems with homework (too much, not enough, too difficult, etc) please contact the school. Back to top

Suggestions from the Standards Site

http://www.standards.dfee.gov.uk/homework/secondarysummaries.html Back to top