Homework
Homework is an essential part of the learning process and should be planned, marked and reviewed in the same way as classwork. We aim to encourage confident, autonomous learners who develop independent skills of enquiry, evaluation and creativity.
The completion of homework is an integral part of the curriculum, systematically differentiated to target different learning needs and abilities, to aid student progress. It is also important because it is the main channel by which education can become a shared responsibility between home and school, allowing parents and carers to support their children as well.
Homework should:
- Meet the needs and aspirations of all students.
- Develop the ability to work independently by encouraging an ethos of high achievement and self-motivation towards academic progress.
- Provide opportunities for demonstrating understanding and consolidation of work done in class.
- Develop skills of personal organisation, time management, revision and study skills.
- To stretch and challenge students to develop their personal potential.
- To prepare students for the challenges of working independently and without the close supervision of the class teacher.
The Academy does not have a fixed homework timetable with time allocated for different subjects on different evenings, but instead homework will follow and reflect the content in lessons as they are taught as so each subject is allowed flexibility in when work is set. Students will need to learn to manage their time so that they do some homework each evening.
Satchel One
Satchel One, formerly known as Show My Homework, is an online tool to help you keep track of your child's homework and will allow you to see the details of the homework tasks your child has been set, as well as its submission status. It provides:
- 24/7 access to view quality and quantity of homework
- Translation into over 50 languages
- Apps available for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Android devices
- Automated notifications before homework is due
Click HERE for a guide on how to use Satchel One.
Key Stage 3
Each week KS3 pupils are expected to complete:
- Sixty minutes of independent or guided reading – scholastic / personal book choice (The Academy’s librarian will be able to tell you which books are correct for your reading age)
- A minimum of two lessons on Bedrock in accordance with the bedrock deadlines as set by the English department.
- The completion of two tasks on SPARX for maths.
- A minimum of one bi-weekly task on Seneca for Science.
In addition to this, literacy-based subjects including English, History and RE will set pre-reading to be completed before lessons.
For other subject areas such as Design Technology, homework at KS3 will be set regularly by subject teachers. It will not follow a prescribed schedule, but rather fit in with their curriculum.
Key Stage 4
At key Stage 4, homework is centred around knowledge retrieval and practice tasks. KS4 pupils will be set homework regularly by their subject teachers in accordance with their curriculums.
Pupils in KS4 will continue to be set the following each week:
- Two lessons on Bedrock in accordance with Bedrock deadlines as set by the English department.
- Tasks on SPARX for maths.
- Bi-weekly Seneca task for science.
In addition to this, subjects will set homework for KS4 pupils such as pre-reading, regular knowledge retrieval tasks and regular practice tasks to consolidate and apply their in-class learning. It will not follow a prescribed schedule.