Homework
Rationale
At St Paul’s, we are striving to foster a culture of active, independent learning amongst our pupils, both in lessons and at home, as we feel this is a key life skill which will equip students with the personal motivation, resilience and growth mindset they need to succeed in and beyond high school. Home learning is proven to have a positive impact on student attainment, particularly those of secondary school age, with research concluding that students who regularly complete this make an additional five months progress in comparison to their peers.
We have centred our approach to Homework using the EEF guidance and research:
‘Homework has an impact by enabling pupils to undertake independent learning to practice and consolidate skills, conduct in-depth inquiry, prepare for lessons or revise for exams. When implementing homework, the evidence suggests a wide variation in impact. Therefore, schools should consider the ‘active’ ingredients to the approach, which may include:
- Considering the quality of homework over the quantity.
- Using well-designed tasks that are linked to classroom learning.
- Clearly setting out the aims of homework to pupils.
- Understanding and addressing any barriers to completion, such as access to a learning device or resources.
- Explicitly teaching independent learning strategies.
- Providing high-quality feedback to improve pupil learning.
- Monitoring the impact homework on pupil engagement, progress and attainment’.
Link: the research can be found here: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/teaching-learning-toolkit/homework
(EEF, 2021)
Setting homework and time allocation
Research highlights the positive impact that the setting and completing of home learning has on pupil achievement and key findings are summarised below:
- ‘Homework has a positive impact on average (+ 5 months), particularly with pupils in secondary schools.
- Some pupils may not have a quiet space for home learning – it is important for schools to consider how home learning can be supported (e.g. through providing homework clubs for pupils).
- Homework that is linked to classroom work tends to be more effective. In particular, studies that included feedback on homework had higher impacts on learning.
- It is important to make the purpose of homework clear to pupils (e.g. to increase a specific area of knowledge, or to develop fluency in a particular area)’.
Link: the research can be found here: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/teaching-learning-toolkit/homework
(EEF, 2021)
To assist parents in the tracking the setting and completion of homework and supporting their child to succeed in developing effective independent learning skills, we have provded some overviews on how we work to achieve this.
Homework is completed in a variety of different formats tailored to best suit the needs of each subject and Key Stage. Supporting overview documents on this page may therefore be subject to change, as needed. Each document details how homework is set (e.g. digital platforms, booklets or creative/research tasks), along with the frequency and duration and the way pupils can expect to receive feedback.
You can find them using the buttons for KS3 and KS4 at the top of the page.
Arbor
To ensure parents can easily see all homework in one place, we set and track this in Arbor; teachers assign each homework set and record its subsequent submission on Arbor, regardless of the format/platform pupils are asked to complete the actual work in. Pupils and parents/carers can log in to Arbor to check all homework set including what subject is due on which date each week and also whether the tasks have been submitted on time – once a task has been confirmed as submitted/completed by the class teacher, this will disappear from your Arbor feed.
Types of Home learning set
Pupils will be expected to complete home learning in a variety of different ways. These setting of tasks will differ depending on the teacher and subject. Effective learning strategies which pupils could use during their self-directed study time can be seen below:
Strategies
Research: ‘Cognitive science is being used increasingly to inform interventions, practice, and policy in education. Of particular interest to education has been research into motivation and reward, working memory and long-term memory, and cognitive load. Findings from two areas of cognitive science have been especially influential: cognitive psychology, which is underpinned by interpretive, behavioural, and observational methods, and cognitive neuroscience, which is underpinned by brain imaging technologies. Many theories of effective learning have been derived from these research areas, including:
- spaced learning—distributing learning and retrieval opportunities over a longer period of time rather than concentrating them in ‘massed’ practice;
- interleaving—switching between different types of problem or different ideas within the same lesson or study session;
- retrieval practice—using a variety of strategies to recall information from memory, for example flash cards, practice tests or quizzing, or mind-mapping’
- strategies to manage cognitive load—focusing students on key information without overloading them, for example, by breaking down or ‘chunking’ subject content or using worked examples, exemplars, or ‘scaffolds’; and
- dual coding—using both verbal and non-verbal information (such as words and pictures) to teach concepts; dual coding forms one part of a wider theory known as the cognitive theory of multimedia learning (CTML)’.
Link: the research can be found here: https://d2tic4wvo1iusb.cloudfront.net/production/documents/guidance/Cognitive_science_approaches_in_the_classroom_-_A_review_of_the_evidence.pdf?v=1699278838
(EEF, 2021)
The use of Technology when assigning Homework.
In some subjects, homework tasks will be expected to be completed online using various online platforms, dependant on the subject. When using online platforms, it allows teachers to:
- Make homework fun and motivating for pupils.
- Easily set quizzes and track student performance
- Provide automated feedback to save time and offer immediate feedback to pupils.
- Provide unlimited practice questions.
- Provides teachers with detailed insights into student understanding, helping them pinpoint skills gaps and track progress.
- Enables the sharing of revision materials building strong habits of independent study.
Supporting pupils with SEND
‘St Paul’s is committed to providing the opportunity for all students to succeed and adheres to the principle that ‘Every teacher is a teacher of SEND’. The school will ensure effective and efficient support for students with Special Educational Needs at the Academy and will focus on raising the aspirations and expectations for all students with SEND and positive outcomes for young people as opposed to measuring hours of support’.
Link: https://www.st-paulshigh.net/policies/
Responsibilities
Teachers
- Set homework that is appropriate for the age and stage of pupils and set in Arbour
- Set time aside during lessons for homework to be fully explained and questions answered
- Allow enough time for the homework to be completed
- Provide timely and effective feedback- when online platforms are used this may be automatically provided within the software package
Pupils
- Listen to homework instructions in class
- Complete homework to the best of their ability
- Submit in line with the deadline given and set on Arbour
- Communicate appropriately with the class teacher if they are having any difficulties with the work, before the deadline.
Parents
- Discussing homework with their child in order to motivate and actively aid engagement
- Regularly check the homework in Arbour and checking their child’s homework when it has been completed
- Liaise with classroom teachers in the event of any issues or problems that may prevent the completion of home learning
Research: The average impact of the Parental engagement approaches is about an additional four months’ progress over the course of a year.
Link: the research can be found here: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/teaching-learning-toolkit/parental-engagement
Missed homework escalation process
- Logged behaviour point on Arbor – missed homework
- Phone call home from class teacher
- Detention set by class teacher where pupils can catch up on homework set.