HOMEWORK GUIDELINES
Homework at St Mary’s Catholic School provides opportunities for students to consolidate their classroom learning and develop study and time management skills. The provision of homework also enhances the partnership between school and home by involving family members in student learning.
When setting homework the need for students to have a balanced lifestyle must be taken into account. This includes sufficient time for family, recreation, sporting, and cultural pursuits.
In order for homework to enhance student learning it must :
- Be purposeful and relevant to student needs
- Be appropriate to the phase of learning (early, middle, and senior)
- Be appropriate to the capability of the student
- Develop the students’ independence as learners
- Be varied, challenging, and clearly related to class work
Homework can include:
- Daily reading to, with, and by parents/caregivers or other family members
- Linking concepts with familiar activities such as shopping, preparation of food, local environment, and family outings
- conversations about what is happening at school
- preparation for oral presentations
- opportunities to write for meaningful purposes
- Completion of tasks set in class to ensure progress
- Consolidation of learning through revision and practice
- Preparation for forthcoming classroom learning (collecting relevant materials, items, information, wider reading)
TIME GUIDELINES
The following is to operate as a guide in determining the amount of set homework that students might be expected to undertake:
- In the Prep Year, homework could be reading & talking about daily activities
- In Years 1, 2, and 3 set homework could be up to but generally not more than 1 hour per week
- Homework in Year 4 and Year 5 could be up to but generally not more than 2 hours per week
- Homework in Year 6 could be up to but generally not more than 3 hours per week
IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF ST MARY’S TEACHERS TO
- Set homework that is relevant, purposeful, achievable, and timely
- Check homework regularly and provide timely and useful feedback to students
- Communicate the purpose, benefits, and expectations of homework to students
- Use appropriate differentiation when determining tasks, taking into consideration the student’s ability, home circumstances, and commitments
- Discuss with parents and caregivers any developing problems concerning their child’s homework and suggest strategies to assist
- Set up routines and systems to assist students to develop organisational skills to ensure homework materials are taken home and work is handed in
IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF ST MARY’S STUDENTS TO
- Take home everything they need to complete homework tasks
- Organise their time to manage home obligations, participation in physical activity and sports, recreational and cultural activities
- Develop responsibility for the completion of homework within set time frames
- Seek assistance when difficulties arise
ST MARY’S PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS CAN HELP STUDENTS BY
- Supporting and assisting them to balance the amount of time spent completing homework, use of technology, playing sport and engaging in other recreational activities
- Providing appropriate furniture and a place to study that is well lit
- Removing social networks and other distractions during homework
- Organising a set time to study, a good routine, and clear expectations
- Have a regular time for home study and keep to it
- Homework should be treated as a serious task that must be completed with care and concentration
- Reading should constitute part of the home study process right throughout your child’s schooling
- Notifying the teacher if there is any difficulty with specific tasks set
- Contacting the teacher to discuss any general concerns about the nature of the homework and their children’s approach to the homework
