Why do we set Homework out of lessons?

• It can improve student’s thinking and memory.
• It can help students develop positive attitudes, study skills and habits that will serve them well throughout their lives.
• It can encourage students to use their time well, to learn independently and to take responsibility for their own learning.
• It can help students improve self-discipline, time management and organisation and creates responsibility.

 

Homework will address key subject knowledge, subject specific skills and will contribute to literacy, numeracy and communication skills and to Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development and exam specific skills.

What is the purpose of homework?

Homework is an essential part of our overall delivery of the curriculum – deliberate and well-planned homework tasks make for more motivated students who are more likely to understand the content, develop subject-specific skills and consolidate the core knowledge needed to be successful.
Homework is also intended to encourage students to develop independent study skills, organisational habits, effective time management and self‐discipline – helping to raise attainment levels and further challenge and extend the in-class content.
All students are expected to use homework to consolidate, revisit and reinforce the learning they do in classrooms. At NSB, homework is designed by curriculum teams and teachers to give students the opportunity to complete purposeful and meaningful tasks:

• Revisit and retrieve knowledge
• Check and test understanding
• Apply and practise skills
• Reinforce skills by applying them to new contexts
• Deepen knowledge through further research and wider reading

 
What does the evidence say about the impact of homework?

Educational research indicates a positive correlation between completing regular home learning tasks and student progress and achievement. According to the Education Endowment Fund, carefully designed homework tasks can accelerate a student’s progress by up to 5 months across an academic year.
In particular, homework tasks that are linked explicitly to classroom work and the curriculum tend to be more effective and lead to a greater impact on students’ learning and progress.
 
What might homework look like?

Homework can take a variety of forms and these will vary according to which approaches suit individual subjects:
Recall of key definitions/vocabulary
Use of online platforms such as Sparx Maths or Seneca or Quizlet to consolidate understanding and apply knowledge to different questions.
Use resources provided by teachers to prepare for a test or assessment.
Complete pre-reading ahead of discussion in class e.g. read an article, watch a video, make notes, etc.
Review key knowledge and concepts from a particular topic.
Practise and apply the skills learned during the lesson.
Draft and redraft specific pieces of work.
Complete research tasks to extend and deepen understanding of topics.
Prepare a presentation to deliver in lessons.

Regardless of the format, homework is most beneficial when it reinforces and extends classwork and consolidates core knowledge and skills. When setting homework, curriculum teams will be mindful of these guiding principles and use them to set purposeful tasks that students recognise as meaningful and motivational.