Homework

 

Homework at William de Ferrers

At William de Ferrers School, we believe purposeful homework plays an important part in a child’s education.  The benefit of completing relevant and appropriate homework must be instilled from an early age so that independent study can be achieved.  We set homework to support the learning that takes place in school that our pupils are required to complete outside of the timetabled curriculum.

Purposeful homework is homework that is designed to directly enhance learning, build skills, or extend understanding beyond the classroom. It is tasks that are meaningful, relevant, and engaging for pupils, connecting to classroom learning and fostering a positive attitude towards learning. 

“The evidence shows that the impact of homework, on average, is five months' additional progress.” 

      Education Endowment Foundation

The key principles of homework at William de Ferrers School:

  1. Homework activities are planned into schemes of learning for each subject and are accessible to parents through the school website and Google Classroom.

  2. The purpose of a homework task should be well explained both in class and on Google Classroom and pupils should be able to complete the homework with minimal support from parents and understand how it benefits their learning.

  3. Any task that is to be completed at home is accessible to all pupils and supports their current learning

  4. Purposeful homework should be appropriately challenging, pushing pupils to extend their thinking and develop new skills. 

  5. Homework can provide opportunities for pupils to practice skills, reinforce concepts, or apply their learning in new contexts. 

  6. Homework tasks should support the ethos of our Expert Teaching Framework.

Frequency of homework

As a guide the following could be set.

Years 7, 8 and 9 will usually be expected to complete:

  • English: Sparx Reader - once a week

  • Maths: Sparx Maths - once a week

  • Science: Sparx Science - once a week

  • MFL - once a week

  • All other subjects - purposeful homework to be set when relevant to the scheme of learning and Expert Teaching Framework at least once a half term

Sparx

Years 10 and 11 will usually be expected to complete 8 -12 hours of homework per week:

  • English, Maths and Science - Sparx Reader, Sparx Maths or Sparx Science or other purposeful homework which is relevant to the scheme of learning and Expert Teaching Framework once per week

  • MFL - Twice per week

  • Optional subjects - once per week each

  • Additional revision tasks may be set as appropriate in preparation for GCSE preliminary examinations and terminal examinations

Years 12 and 13:

  • Each subject will set 3-5 hours of homework and independent study per week.

  • Additional revision tasks may be set as appropriate in preparation for A Level/ BTEC  preliminary examinations and terminal examinations

Examples of homework will include projects, research, e-learning, essays, knowledge and vocabulary tests and practice, revision, preparation for the next lesson and reading.  Pupils are expected to keep up to date with their homework tasks to ensure regular routines are established early on. This will support them throughout their school career as the work becomes more demanding at both GCSE and A-Level. 

 

Teaching staff use the Google Classroom platform to set homework tasks for pupils.  Parents can also receive an email weekly so that they can see the work that is being set. 

Google classroom

Pupils and parents are encouraged to liaise with teaching staff in advance of the homework deadline if their child has any concerns.