Homework at SJCA

Principles:

Homework is an essential part of learning for all students at The Sir John Colfox Academy. Our homework seeks to support the teaching and learning which takes place in the classroom, but also help our students to develop the positive learning behaviours needed to flourish both in school and beyond. We believe that meaningful homework is underpinned by the following principles.

· We value quality rather than quantity, so that a small number of things are done well.

· Homework is regular and specific, so that students know when to expect it and what to do.

· It is time limited, so that students are developing good study habits without being overwhelmed.

· There are clear links to the learning journey/curriculum map, so that students see its relevance.

· It develops independent study habits and metacognitive skills so that students can work with increasing independence as they move through school and into adult life.

· Homework is accurately recorded Arbor, so that students and parents are aware of what needs to be done and when.

Recording homework:

All homework will be logged on Arbor so that it is visible to parents and students. The due date and a brief description of the homework will be given. Additional resources may be attached.

Recording submission:

Teachers will record when homework has been submitted and mark this on Arbor as either: submitted, submitted late or not submitted.

Non-completion of homework:

If a student does not complete their homework the teacher will log a “Homework Concern” point (-1) on Arbor which will also be visible to parents. They will also issue a follow-up intervention as required, such as an extension or a break/lunchtime intervention to complete the work. Students regularly not completing their homework will be invited to stay to complete their homework at homework club after school or will have further intervention from heads of department and heads of year. Attitudes to homework will also be communicated on reports which are sent home termly to parents.

Support with homework:

We recognise that not all students will be able to independently manage their time and resources to complete homework effectively. All students are welcome to complete their homework in the library at lunchtime or after school (Mon-Thu until 17:00). The SEN department also run a homework club until 16:30 from Monday to Thursday.

Key Stage 3 – Years 7, 8 and 9.

Students are set weekly homework in core subjects, according to the timetable below.

Maths

Students are set tasks on the Dr Frost website. This is marked online with students receiving instant feedback on their work. Teachers can also check students’ scores to identify misconceptions and areas for improvement. Access: https://www.drfrost.org/ Username: School email address (e.g. 22examplea@colfox.dorset.sch.uk) Password: password (students can then change this to something memorable).

English

Students have a homework booklet that will be issued each half-term. Homework tasks are completed in the booklets and checked at the start of their first English lesson each week. Electronic versions of the booklet can be found at the bottom of this page.

Science

Students are set tasks on the Seneca Learning website. This is marked online with students receiving instant feedback on their work. Access: https://senecalearning.com/

Login: Students log in by clicking “Continue with Microsoft” and using their school username and password (e.g. 22examplea@colfox.dorset.sch.uk, password1).

Geography and History (Year 9 only)

Students are set fortnightly tasks on Seneca Learning (History) or in a printed booklet (Geography) which will test their understanding of key learning from the previous two weeks.

Access: https://senecalearning.com/ Login: Students log in by clicking “Continue with Microsoft” and using their school email adress and password (e.g. 22examplea@colfox.dorset.sch.uk, password1)

Other subjects:

At KS3 students will also occasionally be set revision activities in preparation for assessments which take place in class. These will be guided with resources and teachers will specify what they need to revise as well as suggest revision techniques.

Curriculum areas will offer additional enrichment tasks throughout the year which students can pick from. This is not part of our core learning but provides them with an opportunity to pursue subject areas which are of interest to them. Students will be rewarded accordingly for the tasks they undertake and participation in these activities will feed into the inter-house competitions which run throughout the year.

Key Stage 4 – Years 10 and 11

Students will be set homework weekly in core subjects and at least fortnightly in options subjects.

We recognise that at KS4 teachers need flexibility to effectively prepare students for their examinations. Activities students are set may include, but are not limited to:

· Exam/Essay question practise.

· Creation of revision materials (e.g flashcards, mind-maps, etc).

· Revision for end of unit tests.

· Online quizzes or use of other online study platforms (e.g. Seneca Learning).

Students will be given at least 3 school days to complete their homework.

Year 11

In addition to the work listed above, students in Year 11 will also be directed to a weekly ‘chunk’ of revision for each subject. This revision is checked/monitored in class. These revision planners can be found on the school website here and will be updated throughout the year.

Maths

Students have a homework booklet that will be issued each half-term. Homework tasks are completed in the booklet and checked at the start the lesson either on or after the due date by their class teachers.

Y10 are issued a homework booklet every half term with the due dates listed on the front of the pack. Each booklet has been created specifically for each class to target specific grade ranges (which will progressively increase in difficulty and broaden the range of retrieval topics as time goes on).

Y11 are issued a set of exam questions (half a past paper) every week. On the front of each paper is a QR code that links to a video tutorial “how to” that students should follow for help in the first instance - this also provides students with exemplar solutions on how to present their work.

English

Students have a homework booklet that will be issued each half-term. Homework tasks are completed in the booklet and checked at the start of their lesson every Tuesday (Year 10) or Friday (Year 11). Electronic versions of the booklets can be found at the bottom of this page.

Science

Students are set tasks by their teacher each week. This will be a mixture of past paper questions to develop their exam technique and use of the Seneca Learning online learning platform where appropriate. Access: https://senecalearning.com/ Login: Students log in by clicking “Continue with Microsoft” and using their school email address and password (e.g. examplea@colfox.dorset.sch.uk, password1)

Other subjects

Students are set tasks by their teacher at least fortnightly. Details of the tasks and deadlines will be clearly visible on the Arbor platform.