HOMEWORK

HOMEWORK PROCEDURES

At Maiden Erlegh School in Reading, we set homework tasks for all students. We do this because we believe that homework supports students to achieve their potential more fully than if we relied solely on the learning that takes place during the timetabled curriculum.

Educational research supports the idea that when embraced, homework allows students to progress more rapidly. For this to be the case, homework set will be meaningful, have a clear purpose, and encourage students to become flexible, independent learners able to cope with the demands of future working life.

RATIONALE

The Educational Endowment Foundation concludes that “the impact of homework, on average, is five months’ additional progress”. There is extensive research, however, to suggest that this is maximised when “homework relates to learning” and is “an integral part of learning, rather than an add-on”. EEF, September 2018.

As a result of this and other research, we have worked carefully to ensure the range of homework tasks assigned at Maiden Erlegh School in Reading are purposeful and specific enough to add value. By setting the right homework, we, as a school, can help to reinforce key concepts in a new environment, allowing information taught to be used in a variety of contexts in the future.

RANGE OF HOMEWORK TASKS

Homework is an integral part of a subject’s curriculum and will be specific and targeted. This will help to enhance student learning, improve achievement and develop students’ study skills.

Homework might involve activities to do with reading around a subject, revision, recalling information, practising skills, planning for lessons and tasks or responding to feedback.

FREQUENCY

Subject	Frequency	Type
Maths	1 piece per week	Practise - application of maths skills using Sparx Maths
English	1 piece per week	Read - reading and literacy using Sparx Reader.
Science	1 piece per week	Practise - application of scientific skills using Sparx Science
History	1 piece per week	Retrieve – Revision tasks, Brain Dumps, Mindmaps  Read – Reciprocal Reader tasks
Geography	1 piece per week	Retrieve- revision grids, brain dumps, posters Prepare- research for a case study
French/Spanish	1 piece every 1–2 weeks	Retrieve – vocab learning using Quizlet
Technology	1 piece per half term	Practise - application of knowledge and skills
Computing	1–2 pieces per unit	Practise - application of knowledge and skills related to the topic being taught
Art	1 piece per term	Practise - Personal Investigation Project. Students are to research a theme, design and create a piece of Art inspired by artists, designers and craftspeople.
Music	1 piece per term	Practise – application of skills using Teaching Gadget
Drama	1 piece per term	Practise – learning to perform a piece of script/ physical movement piece for performance
RE	1 piece per week	Prepare - Investigate a person, event or group to learn information, vocabulary and practise writing that will boost examination outcomes and intellectual curiosity.

Students in Key Stage 4 (Years10 & 11) should expect to receive approximately 40-60mins of homework per subject, per week. For the majority of subjects, this will be a single piece of homework each week, although some subjects may choose to set smaller tasks which total the 40-60mins. This is left to the discretion of each department and how best to utilise homework tasks.

RECORDING AND MONITORING HOMEWORK

All homework is recorded and outlined to students on Class Charts. At the start of the academic year, all students and parents/guardians will be given a unique set of login details to allow them to access Class Charts either on the computer, or on a mobile device.

Classroom teachers will then upload information outlining the homework task, as well as a clear deadline. Parents/guardians will also be able to see the assigned tasks and deadlines and there is an expectation that parents/guardians are regularly keeping track of homework set and supporting their son/daughter at home in ensuring tasks are completed.

To support students in managing their workload at home and encourage the development of organisation skills, personalised deadlines will be visible to both students and parents/guardians on Class Charts.

All homework tasks will be either reviewed, used or marked in a subsequent lesson after the submission deadline.

The quality of homework set and produced will be monitored by the Curriculum Leaders with oversight from the Assistant Headteacher in charge of Teaching and Learning.