It encourages students to develop skills of discovery, investigation and independent learning
It enables students to build on and develop their learning
It helps to prepare work for a forthcoming lesson
It helps students to use their initiative and think independently
It enables students to assess their own progress

Please support us in ensuring that homework is done conscientiously. Students record homework in their planners each day. Please check and sign the planner every week before it is countersigned by the form tutor. It is school policy to set regular homework in all years.

Homework Q and A

What sort of homework will my child be set?

Types of homework set may include:

Revision: looking back over class work and learning it; preparing for a test or examination
Written tasks: set by the teacher and completed entirely for homework
Project work: usually planned and completed over a period of time, including work done in school and at home.
Reading: continuing a text started at school or reading independently from a wide range of fiction and non-fiction
Research: where information needs to be gathered from different sources
Finishing class work started during a lesson.

When should homework be done?

Students should:

Plan homework or study at regular times each evening and at weekends. Several shorter sessions are better than working late on a Sunday night
Commit themselves to doing regular homework every evening
Use their planners to plan the work to be done each night

Where and how should my child study?

All individuals have their own preferences, but here are some general tips:

Choose a part of the house or flat with a comfortable temperature
Children work best on a flat surface, preferably a table or desk
Make sure the area is well lit, with a comfortable chair
Keep distractions like TV or dogs well away, or even parents sometimes!
Many children claim they "need music on" to study better. If the work gets done, music may well help
Parents should encourage a "homework routine"; this will help ensure good work, and avoid arguments
Remind your child about the Homework Clubs, run by the school
Your child may complete homework in the School Library. It is open from 8.00 to 8.30 every morning for this. The Homework Zone is open every lunchtime, and until 4.15 Monday to Friday each week for this purpose.
If there are difficulties with homework, make sure you contact your child's Form Tutor so that we can see how we can help.
Students have full Computer access in the Flexible Learning Centres on every floor. They are available Monday to Friday as follows: 7.30 - 8.30; Break; Lunch; 3.05 - 5.30.

How can I help my child with homework?

In particular, we would be pleased if parents could:

Encourage high standards of handwriting, spelling and presentation
Ask your child to check the accuracy of their written work; this should become routine
Test your child to see if s/he has learned what has been set
Listen to him/her reading what s/he has written; even a few minutes at the end of the day helps.
Ask him/her to explain what s/he has been studying
Ensure that they complete homework by the set date
Listen to your child read every day and reward them often

Anything else I should know about homework?

Just a few things:

Let us know if you are concerned about the homework programme. We would like to know if there are problems.
All students should belong to the public library nearest where they live. This will help with reading and researching.
We want all students to have good literacy skills. Please encourage as much reading of as wide a range of fiction and non-fiction as possible. Please ensure your child carries a reading book of their own to school every day.