Homework

Hamstead Hall Academy strongly believes that homework plays a crucial role in both a student’s learning and the performance of the Academy.

There is no question about its academic worth, particularly as research suggests that completion of homework at secondary level can add an additional 5 months progress onto a child’s learning (EEF, 2016). Hamstead Hall Academy uses Show My Homework and Google Classroom to promote consistency, improve transparency and ensure effective communication between teachers, students and parents / carers with regards to homework completion.

In adopting a more technological approach to homework we hope to transform and improve home-academy relationships. We are very excited about online platforms in helping us to raise standards, increase learning outcomes and improve the homework quality across the Academy.

Show My Homework enables parents/ carers to track homework details, monitor deadlines and engage with teachers about their child’s progress much more freely. Show My Homework has accessible software for a desktop, tablet or mobile device and the application can be downloaded free of charge from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store. 

Hamstead Hall Academy Homework Policy

Rationale

At Hamstead Hall Academy, we recognise and value the importance of homework to a child’s development and learning. This is supported by the Education Endowment Foundation research findings that effective homework has a positive impact of 5 months on a child’s development. The EEF has found that homework that is linked to classroom work tends to be more effective. In particular, tasks that include feedback on homework have higher impacts on learning.

These principles form the cornerstone for homework at Hamstead Hall Academy: connected to class work, with feedback.

This means that research tasks and flipped learning may on occasion be used by the teacher with a clear rationale, but this will not be the norm for KS3 and 4. This is in recognition of cognitive load theory and an understanding that it will probably be too difficult and detrimental for students to learn new content independently in homework without the expert guidance of the teacher.

The majority of homework tasks will be directly connected to class work and focus mainly on retrieval practice and revision strategies. For example, tasking students to create flash cards or detailed revision posters on content learnt in lessons to create a bank of revision materials for later use. Of course, practice exam questions may also be used - connected to classroom learning - with subsequent teacher feedback. There will always be a rationale for homework made explicit by the teacher.

Some suggested activities may include: preparing a written or spoken presentation, use of technology e.g., MyMaths, GCSEPod, EduCake, or guided reading with subsequent answers to questions/ reading review. See exemplar homework task at end for a guide.

Expectations

Teachers will set homework that is due in approx. a week’s time. We recognise that for option subjects the regularity and frequency of lessons varies, and on a two-week timetable, it may not be feasible to have a designated homework day as class teachers may not see the class on the same day each week. Students will learn to manage their time effectively and we will aim for homework to be due in approx. a week’s time from the date set e.g. set on Friday and due on the following Thursday, according to lessons on the timetable.

Homework will not be set and due within 48 hours. Students will always be given sufficient time to complete their homework tasks and we recognise the potential negative impact too much homework may have on students’ lives. Some pupils may not have a quiet space for home learning and it is important for us to support home learning through providing homework clubs for pupils in the library and resource base for SEND students.

Every subject will set weekly homework tasks. Key Stage 3 students (Years 7-9) will be set homework that takes no more than 20mins to complete each week. Key Stage 4 students (Years 10-11) will be set homework that takes no more than 1 hour to complete. Key Stage 5 students (Years 12-13) will be set directed independent study work for 5 hours. This will be different to the homework expectations at KS3 and 4 and more conducive to preparation for A Levels and future self-directed undergraduate study. The 5 hours of independent study for KS5 students will be chunked into smaller, manageable tasks.

Notification

Teachers will set homework task instructions and deadlines on Google Classroom. Through the use of Google Classroom, curriculum leaders can have an oversight of the homework tasks set by teachers in their department enabling them to monitor what has been set and ensure consistency and compliance with this policy. The behaviour monitoring system will highlight to form tutors incidents where students have failed to submit homework, and form tutors will support students to produce homework timetables. We appreciate each student is different with different schedules outside of school so there will not be a prescribed timetable but rather form tutors will help support students create a bespoke personalised timetable responding to students’ evening and weekend activities. The pastoral team and behaviour for learning framework is in place to both sanction and reward as necessary. Homework provides parents with an opportunity to become involved in their child’s learning and parents can expect weekly homework tasks for their child from each subject.

Homework should be centered around a knowledge-rich focus, broaden literacy, and develop students’ interest for learning each subject.