Homework Is An Important Part Of School Work

This academic year we are formalising our homework structures to ensure that our students have the best chance of progressing in their learning.

Dear Parents / Carers

Welcome to a new academic year at Forge.

Homework is an important part of school work: it helps students to learn independently, embed the learning done during school time and develop good self-discipline and a strong work ethic, if done regularly and as requested. This academic year we are formalising our homework structures to ensure that  our students have the best chance of progressing in their learning.

In years 7 and 8, students will receive key spellings for each subject they study: they will be expected to learn how to spell these important words and know what they mean. Regular quizzes will be set both in class and on-line to support learning. All key words can be located in the curriculum area on the Academy website; please look at the spellings your child has to learn and support them in this task. Additionally, students will be set a weekly reading task in English, a maths quiz and a regular subject knowledge quiz in science.

To deepen your child’s understanding of the topics they study they will be assigned one Deep Learning Project per half term which will ask them to look in greater depth at an area of interest in one subject only. This term your child will be exploring deeper themes linked to their PRE lessons. Your child will be introduced to their task in lessons and asked to demonstrate progress after a couple of weeks. Topics for this term are available for you to see on the curriculum area of the Academy website. The library will host a drop-in study session each Tuesday to support your child with any research they may want to undertake to support their project.

All home learning will be recorded on SatchelOne.

In years 9 -11, students will be set regular prep tasks, normally a short piece of reading or research, which will have a direct link to their learning in upcoming lessons. It is essential that students complete these tasks in order to gain the most benefit from lesson time. In order to check learning, your child will also be set regular consolidation tasks which will be marked by staff: these may take the form of quizzes, summaries or single examination style questions. Completion of these tasks is essential as it will allow staff to identify areas where your child may need support in order to fully understand a concept or apply a skill. Students in year 10 and 11 will receive planners to aid them in organising their time and meeting deadlines.

We are asking for parents to ensure that good routines are in place at home to ensure that homework is done regularly and to the best of your child’s ability. Please check SatchelOne regularly so that you can support your child with their learning. If you have a child in year 10 and 11, please check and sign their planner weekly.

Unfortunately not every student completes every piece of homework, and research shows that those students that don’t complete homework to embed their learning don’t perform as well as students that do. It is therefore vital that we work together to develop good routines. Incomplete homework will result in your child being invited to a study session; if this is the case, you will be informed via text message. The study sessions are not a detention but an opportunity to complete necessary learning and students are free to leave as soon as any outstanding homework is complete.

A study club will be available in the library on Tuesday afternoons and this will be complemented later in the term with additional opportunities to complete homework on the academy site. While we will support your child in the academy, we also ask for your support at home. Please encourage your child to develop good homework routines at home, some possible examples could be :

  • To spend a set or agreed amount of time working independently each weekday evening in a quiet room.
  • No electronic games/TV/social media/internet access before their homework is completed or until they have worked for the agreed amount of time.
  • Ensure that they do regular work at home. Quite often, pupils will say that they don’t have homework, this is sometimes the case, but often an excuse!
  • Avoid doing homework late at night.

If your child doesn’t have homework,  reading and/or revising is a good way of embedding learning and developing good habits/routines. A small amount of work regularly is often better than a large amount at the ‘last minute’ which is why, as an academy, we are aiming for short homeworks of around 20 minutes for each piece.

Thank you in advance for your support.

Emma Westwood
Senior Leader Literacy