Beaumont Leys



Our Homework

Homework transforms student outcomes by increasing progress, increasing student investment in learning, developing creativity, extending own learning whilst reducing the pressure on staff to cover ever greater amounts of content in reducing curriculum time.

Homework enhances student learning, improves achievement and develops students’ study skills and as such is an integral part of the curriculum. It requires careful planning and integration into the scheme of Learning of each curriculum area.

We believe that homework plays a role in raising the ambitions of students in areas of high deprivation.

We want our homework to impact on the progress of our students and to encourage independent learning ready for the next stages of their lives.

We want to narrow the attainment gap by providing a quiet place for our students to study and encouraging them to attend our BLS Extra Homework Club.

We believe that technology can help us to transform the type of work set and the willingness of students to complete tasks at home.

We believe that homework should never be used as a punishment or penalty for poor performance.

Homework at Beaumont Leys School is an integral part of how the students learn. Homework is an integral part of the Teacher Standards. Teaching at Beaumont Leys can only be judged to ‘never less than good’ if homework is an integral part of teaching.

We believe that homework is essential for many reasons. We know that it encourages students to;

  • Develop the practice of independent study.
  • Develop perseverance and self-discipline.
  • Increase self-awareness, self-confidence and initiative.
  • Enables students to learn through the practice of skills acquired in the classroom.
  • Permits more rapid progress to be made by each individual.
  • Promote quiet reflection on the work covered in the lesson.
  • Enables class work to concentrate on those activities requiring the teacher’s presence.
  • Encourages students to investigate topics of study in depth, particularly through the use of effective follow-up questions.
  • Encourage students to enjoy the skills, concepts and experiences related to each subject.
  • Encourages students to talk, discuss and research using the rich variety of resources which our community can provide.

We know that when students move into further education and employment they rely on the self-management employability skills that they have learnt from doing regular homework.

Responsibilities

The role of the student

  • To listen to homework instructions in class.
  • To copy down instructions for the task and deadline date into the organiser if you choose to.
  • To activate their Show My Homework account.
  • To check Show My Homework for homework tasks online or via the app.
  • To ensure that homework is completed and handed in to meet the deadline.
  • To attempt all work and give their best.
  • To inform the class teacher of any difficulties in advance of the deadline.
  • To actively seek help to write down activities.
  • To attend homework club as appropriate.
  • You are given a planner, if you lose it you will be charged for a new one.

The role of the Form Tutor

  • To include homework in student mentoring where appropriate.
  • To check that the organiser is being signed by the parent/guardian.
  • To note and respond to any comments written in organisers by parents.
  • 4 Weekly monitoring of Show My Homework reports
  • Be proactive in involving the YTL with issues arising from the report.

The role of the Class Teacher

  • The class teacher controls the direction of homework and the nature of tasks undertaken.

The teacher will:

  • Set homework according to the homework timetable using Show My Homework.
  • Provide the stimulus.
  • Give full and comprehensive instructions making sure that all students know what they have to do.
  • Set deadlines for completed work and ensure that they are met.
  • Respond to all homework.
  • Provide help and support.
  • Inform the FTL, Tutor and YTL when problems arise.
  • Support students with writing homework into organisers.
  • Ensure all complete and incomplete homework is recorded in Show My Homework.
  • Set sanctions for incomplete homework in accordance with school policy and the flow diagram.
  • For Term 1, homework should be set on SMHW and in organisers. It should not take the form of video or any resource that has to be downloaded and printed.
  • For Term 1, If printed resources are needed for the homework, these should be printed and supplied.

The role of the Parents/Carers

The role of the parent/carer is crucial if a child is to gain success from homework. To reinforce its value through positive feedback will give students the confidence to persevere, work hard and reach high standards of achievement.

Parents can assist by:

  • Providing a quiet place to work.
  • Checking the homework set via Show My Homework.
  • Checking the time spent on individual tasks.
  • Checking presentation and content of all homework being returned to school.
  • Signing the organiser each week.
  • Providing the school with information about any problems through the organiser or by contacting the school directly
  • Contact the class teacher if you have any concerns or difficulties about the homework set.
  • Contact the Year Team Leader/Tutor with any other concerns or difficulties.
  • Be aware that if your child is Pupil Premium eligible then they can use their individual budgets to purchase resources.
  • Encourage your child to use the homework club.

Expectations: How much and by whom?

The expectation of the length of homework will depend on: the curriculum time for each subject; the nature of the work; the ability of the student, and the particular Year Group. We expect each homework in KS4 to be 60-75 minutes work. In Year 9, each homework set should be 40 minutes work. In Year 7 and 8, we expect each homework set to be 30 minutes work. If a student does one homework per night lasting 40 minutes then that equates to an extra 3.3 hours per week. This equals 140 hours extra per year or an extra 28 school days.

The table below indicates how much homework a class teacher should set per 4 weeks depending on curriculum time (minimum).

KS3

Lessons per week Number of homework’s per 4 weeks
1 2
2+ 4

KS4

All subjects at KS4 should set 1 homework per week.