Homework

The purpose of homework changes as young people progress through their school life. We want our students to enjoy learning and see the value of learning beyond the classroom; we want students to develop a strong and disciplined work ethic and we want to help support students in being able to study independently.

Homework tasks have been simplified to align with the development of whole school literacy and knowledge retrieval practice that evidence suggests is the most effective learning strategy; retrieval practice strengthens connections to the long-term memory making it easier for students to recall information.

As evidence suggests, students will forget much of the knowledge taught if it is not reviewed regularly and practice testing is one of the most highly effective learning techniques (Dunlosky et al 2013). Homework will be designed in the form of knowledge retrieval practice to allow students to strengthen connections to long-term memory and to retain more information over time. Retrieval practice homework will not be marked by teachers, although there is an expectation that students present their work. The specific expectations for each subject and year group are detailed in the Homework Booklet for Parents and Carers which can be found by clicking the link below.

We cannot stop the process of forgetting, but we can reduce it by regular review and retrieval:

• Homework activities may include students creating flashcards on a topic area using the knowledge organiser, completing a multiple-choice quiz or completing retrieval tasks online.
• Students regularly self-test using these flashcards and retrieval practice questions.
• Teachers plan ‘retrieval’ tasks at the start of lessons to help students to remember
• Homework activities encourage and allow students to prepare for the retrieval tasks and recall knowledge