Homework

At BSY we ensure that homework will be:

• manageable for parents, pupils and teachers
• directly related to pupils’ class work and the school curriculum
• clearly understood by all pupils in term of objectives and feedback

EYFS

In EYFS, there is no homework as such to be set, but there is an expectation that children will share books with parents and carers at home. To help with this, the EYFS children will all borrow a free-choice Library book from school each week. During their Reception year, the children will also begin to be issued with Oxford Reading Tree books.

Key Stage 1 (Years 1-2) and Key Stage 2 (Years 3-6)

In Primary, Homework is designed, planned, marked and assessed according to the different ages, abilities and needs of the pupils. It has purpose, interest and is relevant to the school’s curricular objectives. It helps children to develop skills and attitudes they will need for independent learning. It also supports the development of enquiry and investigation and can supplement and extend the work carried out in school. Homework focuses mainly on developing literacy and numeracy skills and may include: learning spelling patterns and high frequency words, practising correct punctuation and grammar, number games and tasks.

In addition, children will be given other kinds of homework which may include:

• Research and/or design projects
• Reading in preparation for lessons
• Preparing oral presentations
• More traditional writing assignments

Homework will be given in a menu format and will change and reflect the topics covered throughout the year.

Key Stage 3 (Years 7-9) and Key Stage 4 (Year 10)

In the Secondary School our approach to homework is varied across age, phase and subject area. Teachers set homework that:

1. Is regular
2. Is age and stage appropriate
3. Is appropriately varied (type, task, amount and duration)
4. Consolidates or develops in-class learning

The amount and complexity of homework increases with age. As a rough guide students in Key Stage 3 receive between 30 and 45 mins of homework per subject per week, whereas in Key Stage 4 this increases to around one hour or more. Homework is best set when appropriate to the curriculum and not necessarily as per a predetermined timetable. Our teachers set homework that adds value to learning.

Knowledge Organisers and Homework (Key Stage 3 and 4)

Knowledge Organisers (KOs) are a one page document that organise the core details of a topic in an easily accessible way for students. In the Secondary School we use these as a core planning document across all subjects, and, as a learning aid for students. Teachers and students are encouraged to refer to these throughout a unit of work and they are a key reference tool for core knowledge. The extent to which, and how subjects use them in relation to homework varies.