Homework

At The Ramsey Academy, we view homework as a crucial part of a student's educational journey. Homework plays a key role in advancing progress and learning, fostering independence and organisational skills, and preparing students for further education. According to research by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), well-designed homework can boost student progress by up to five months. The most effective homework tasks either link to prior learning, or prepare students for upcoming lessons. We recognise that homework is most effective when students understand its purpose. Therefore, we are committed to highlighting the importance of homework to our students, highlighting how it enhances their progress and equips them with essential life skills for the future.

Homework is set regularly at The Ramsey Academy, with the amount and type of work set depending on the age and ability of the individual student, together with the nature of the subject. The school seeks to develop increasingly independent learners who take responsibility for their own learning. Homework makes an important contribution to this process and, therefore, it is our expectation that students will complete every piece of homework set. Class teachers (and subject leaders where appropriate) will set

deadlines for the completion of homework. By meeting these deadlines, students will also develop important life skills for the future world of work and learning.

Why do we set homework at The Ramsey Academy?

· To reinforce, embed and extend work covered in class.

· To prepare for the next lesson or topic.

· To develop important revision skills and techniques for assessments and exams.

· To introduce activities that are not suited to the classroom.

· To develop reading skills and reading habits.

· To increase parental involvement by offering a way for parents to become involved in their child’s education

· To develop good study habits, self-discipline, and personal organisation.

· To increase responsibility and accountability for students in their own learning. 

What type of homework will be set?

The type of homework set will vary according to the student’s ability, age and the purpose of the task. Specific homework tasks set will be determined by individual teachers, and may include:

Researching, reading, note-making, summarising, answering questions, creative tasks, worksheets, learning vocabulary, practising conversations, preparing presentations, problem solving, testing, collecting data, practical tasks, revising, writing essays, tasks to reinforce learning, or providing some context for the next stage of learning. NB. Please note that this is not a definitive list and the choice of task is at the teacher’s discretion and a choice of activities may be offered.

How often is homework set and how long should it take?

All students will be set homework that is challenging and relevant to their learning needs. To ensure that meaningful and valuable homework can be set in every subject, the Academy does not provide a fixed daily homework timetable. Homework will be set with at least a week to complete before the deadline. Furthermore, different methods of marking homework will take place. More details on this can be found in the Assessment Policy as guidance about how frequently work should be marked.

Key Stage Three (Years 7-9)

It is expected that students will spend at least 30 minutes on each subject. 

Key Stage Four (Years 10-11)

All examination subjects at KS4 will set homework once each week.

It is expected that students will spend at least 30 minutes on each subject.

In Year 11 there is also an expectation that students spend additional time, on top of the homework that has been set, by completing revision activities (we recommend approximately one hour of revision per subject per week). Many Year 11 teachers will set guided revision activities in addition to homework set that links to the learning in class in order to help the Year 11 students to structure their revision. Our experience shows that when Year 11 students begin their revision early in the academic year, they have greater success in their end of year exams. To help with this process, The Ramsey Academy has subscribed to the GCSE Pod: GCSE Learning and Revision | GCSEPod. This is an excellent resource for Year 10 and 11 students, with many independent revision activities for students, across the curriculum.

Year 11 students will be encouraged to organise themselves by creating a revision timetable which can help them manage their workload. 

The recording and communication of homework

All homework is set on Satchel One/Show my Homework. This can be downloaded as an app on a mobile phone or a device and/or accessed through the weblink www.satchelone.com on a desktop computer or a laptop. Students will be expected to regularly look at Satchel One when they are at home to ensure they know what homework they need to complete. Parents will also receive an individual pin number so that they can access their child’s account and support in the managing and completion of homework. Parents who take an interest in their child’s learning at school can have a significant impact on their child’s progress.

View The Homework Policy Here