Planning, monitoring and recording homework
Maiden Beech is a 9 - 13 middle (deemed secondary) school, serving the South Somerset market town of
Crewkerne and surrounding rural villages.
The School's current homework policy and practice developed from three key needs, namely for
homework to:
- be planned as an integral element of the curriculum;
- be capable of targeting differentiated learning needs; and
- contribute to the development of pupils as self-directed learners.
Student Guides
The entire curriculum is mapped out for each Year Group and shared with pupils and their parents and
carers through a series of 'Student Guides' on each module covered by every department. These are given
to the pupils and parents at the commencement of each module, and are structured in the format of a
learning guide to the areas of study covered both in school and in an associated Home Study Programme.
Home Study Programme booklets
These are published each term and contain an introductory letter to parents and carers outlining the
aims of the publication, the homework timetable, homework log for parents to monitor, and tips on how to
support children's learning at home. Parents and carers are also invited to contact the headteacher if
their children encounter problems with homework or have difficulty understanding instructions.
The core element of the publication is the complete set of each subject's Home Study Tasks for the
term which are individually structured as follows:
- the name of the module;
- the nature of the task (the brief);
- the core element of the home study task;
- extension tasks;
- resources required for the study programme;
- time guide on the probable duration of the task; and
- some helpful hints.
These Year Group publications are reviewed by the Curriculum Co-ordinator prior to publication.
Monitoring and reporting to parents
The successful completion of homework is recorded for each lesson in the 'Class Achievement Folder' - a
one-sided A4 whole class pro-forma recording sheet, which operates on a points system. Points are awarded
for good homework and deducted for missing homework. The reporting criteria also include National
Curriculum levels, effort, progress, behaviour, commitment, personal organisation, and attendance.
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