Homework Statement of Practice
Rationale
At BBA, we believe that homework is important in:
- Consolidating key knowledge needed to access lessons in school
- Re-capping and revisiting knowledge regularly to build memory retention
- Promoting a culture of self-discipline
- Developing an ethos for independent learning
- Teaching students how to revise
- Improving literacy skills
Homework at BBA
Every student is issued with a Knowledge Organiser at the beginning of each half term, where subjects have documented all the key facts and knowledge that students will need to remember and recall during their lessons. The Knowledge Organiser is accompanied by an exercise book, where students will complete their homework each night of the week.
After school sessions run Monday-Thursday to support completion of homework.
At Bluecoat Beechdale Academy, we recognise and value the impact that reading for pleasure has on academic achievement. Therefore, we also expect students to be reading their own book, which can be loaned from our library, for 20 minutes every night. The Reading Log in the Knowledge Organiser should be signed by an adult each night to confirm that this has been completed.
Types of Homework
- Knowledge Organiser – recall/memorise (strategies in the front of the KO) and self-marked.
- 200 word preparation – using the power writing plan and to be completed in form time the following day.
- Principal’s Reading – annotated/bullet points in exercise book, which will be tested through comprehension tasks in form time the following day.
- Additional subject-based homework tasks – set by the teacher, as they see appropriate, which is linked to the curriculum and given sufficient time to complete. This will be given directly to the teacher on the date it is due.
- Independent reading
Frequency and duration of homework tasks
Students are expected to complete homework for two prescribed lessons a night from a different section of the Knowledge Organiser; this should take 40 minutes (20 minutes per subject) and be a whole page in the exercise book (half a page for each subject), which the form tutor will check the following day.
At the front of each Knowledge Organiser there is a timetable, outlining which subject and section students should be studying each night. Students can demonstrate their engagement with their homework through a number of ways including: mind maps, lists, self quizzes, using terminology in full sentences, detailed explanations, diagrams, flow charts etc.
Students failing to complete homework
Students who fail to complete their homework, or bring their Knowledge Organiser/exercise book to school, will sit a 30 minute detention the same evening; they will complete their homework in this time.
