Home Learning

What are the aims of home learning?

Home learning supports work done in class, through retrieval practice and broadening curriculum experiences. A key aspect of securing pupils’ ability to store and retrieve information from their long-term memory is regular, low-stakes, retrieval practice. All students will engage frequently in a variety of forms of retrieval for home learning such as quizzing using knowledge organisers, creating diagrams, knowledge maps or summaries from memory; these have a high threshold of success and are easily checked for accuracy, so gaps are identified and addressed. Daily, weekly and monthly reviews of prior learning allow for spaced retrieval practice and improves students’ storage and retrieval strength, builds well-connected schemata and reduces cognitive load when applying learning.

How much home learning do we set?

Currently, students in Years 7, 8 and 9 should expect to receive regular home learning; this will be weekly English, Maths, Science, MFL, Geography and History and every other week in other subjects. Students should expect to spend approximately 30 – 40 minutes completing home learning tasks for each subject. We encourage students to make regular use of their Knowledge Organisers alongside home learning tasks.

Students in Years 10 and 11 should expect home learning to be set every week in each subject. Students should spend 90 minutes completing home learning tasks for each subject per week.

In the Sixth Form, students should expect to spend at least 60 minutes on home learning following every lesson. Home learning will deepen their knowledge and encourage students to revisit learning for lessons to consolidate learning.

Reading

Students in Year 7 and 8 should expect as part of their English home learning, 60 minutes reading independently using SPARX.

How is home learning set?

Each home learning is set an assignment on Microsoft Teams. Parents and Carers can use the Haldor App to monitor home learning. Home learning will be set over a time period which is sufficient to provide flexibility for students, so that they can work around other commitments when completing their work.

How are students supported with their home learning?

Each evening the Academy runs a Homework Club where students have access to ICT facilities and can complete home learning tasks under supervision. Students with SEND can make use of an additional club in the E-Block corridor, both at lunchtime and after school each day. Sixth Form students can use the facilities in the Sixth Form block until 16.30pm each evening.

A number of subjects run separate home learning clinics to support home learning.

How is home learning acknowledged by teachers?

Home learning will be acknowledged by teachers in a variety of ways, either through simply checking homework during the lesson or requiring students to use their home learning to make a contribution to the following lesson (s).

Students who make a habit of completing home learning particularly well can expect to be rewarded with a House Point.

What happens if a student does not complete their home learning?

It is a student’s responsibility to complete all home learning, to do it to the best of their ability and to ensure that it is completed on time. If a student fails to complete home learning set, the teacher will record a centralised detention.

What happens if a student is absent from class when home learning is set?

When absent from class, we continue to encourage students, where possible, to tackle weekly home learning via Microsoft Teams. This is a good way for students to maintain fluency and confidence in learning.

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