Homework
As part of our ongoing commitment to providing our students with the very best learning experiences, we set high-quality and meaningful homework tasks each week for them to complete. All of our approach to teaching at the Academy is shaped by the best possible evidence about how students learn best.
Research shows that students benefit academically when they engage in completing homework in a sustained and successful manner:
- Recapping learning from their lessons;
- Increasing the likelihood of embedding knowledge in their long-term memory;
- Applying their learning to extended practice;
- And affording the opportunity to research and explore topics which complement and build upon their classroom-based learning.
- In addition, the completion of homework helps students develop their skills as inquisitive, organised and disciplined thinkers- all key aspects of the International Baccalaureate Learner Profile that we seek to develop in all students during their time with us at the Academy.
All students’ homework is set digitally on Google Classroom, which includes details of how this piece of work should be completed, and by when. Students’ dashboards on their Chromebooks remind them of which pieces of homework are due, and whether or not they have completed the tasks.
The frequency and length of homework tasks vary according to the Key Stage a student is in:
At Key Stage 3 (Years 7-9), each homework task should take approximately 30-45 minutes to complete. The majority of subjects will set one piece of homework for each week. In the following subjects, homework is set every fortnight: Information Technology, Design and Technology, and Creative and Performing Arts.
At Key Stage 4 (Years 10-11) each homework task should take approximately 45-60 minutes to complete. All subjects will set at least one piece of homework for each week.
At Key Stage 5 (Years 12-13), homework for each subject should cumulatively take 3-5 hours to complete each week.
In addition to this, all students are expected to complete a minimum of 60 minutes of independent reading per week, which is assessed and monitored by your child’s English teacher. Research shows that reading, along with attendance, has the greatest impact on determining a students’ success at GCSE. It is for this reason that all students gain free access to both our well-stocked physical Library, as well as Sparx Reader, a digital library of fiction and nonfiction books.
Parents/carers can receive personalised daily or weekly updates on students completion of homework through the Google Guardians programme. Many parents and carers have welcomed this as a really useful tool in supporting their child with their time management and academic progress.
Please contact your child’s Small School college team for more information on how to enrol in Google Guardians, if you have not done so already. Should you have any further questions about your child’s engagement with their homework, please do contact us at info@minster.latrust.org.uk
Independent Learning
Independent learning provides students with the opportunity to continue their academic progress away from the classroom. It allows students to demonstrate a commitment to their own learning, as well as extending their subject knowledge and skill development in a personalised way.
Leigh Academy Minster recognises that all students deserve the right to continue their education in their own time, therefore, any opportunities to do so should be inclusive and hold no barriers to a student’s aspirations. The independent learning platform should also harness the current developments in educational technology, enhancing the interaction between all stakeholders in a student’s education.
Parents / carers can help students by looking through their independent learning with them. We believe that this helps provide parents / carers with a good understanding of the work taking place at Leigh Academy Minster and leads to better outcomes for students. If students regularly complete their independent learning to a high standard their academic results improve. Parents / carers can make a huge contribution to a child’s future wellbeing by having high expectations with regard to the completion of independent learning to a high standard. Please help by providing a suitable study environment with the necessary resources; by taking an interest and by encouraging and praising the effort your child is making.
Key Stage 3 students should be set independent learning tasks of between 20 – 30 minutes per subject for completion.
Key Stage 4 students should be set independent learning tasks of between 45 – 60 minutes per subject for completion.