Why does school set weekly homework?

Home learning is an integral part of the school curriculum from the beginning of Year 7 and helps students to develop the skills and attitudes they will need for successful lifelong learning. Home learning also supports the development of independent learning skills and provides you with an opportunity to embed core knowledge and skills. It is an essential element in the drive to ensure that all students make progress through reinforcement and consolidation of learning. 

Research shows that effective home learning can increase student progress by five months. 

How do I know what homework has been set?

Most homework will be set on Google Classroom. Your teacher will upload a task for you and the other students in your class. They will indicate a due date and any attachments that you need. Some tasks can be submitted online, some require you to bring the work into school. Your teacher will make this clear.

What is the most effective way to study at home?

You should try to work in a quiet place at home.  This is ideally away from distractions so that you can focus on work.  It is not possible to do home learning and watch the television, although students may be able to listen to music and do their work.

Even the presence of a mobile phone or tablet on your desk while you are working is a distraction; you will want to look at it every time you receive a notification, and this will not help you to complete your best work. Put it away or keep it in a different room while you are working.

If you struggle to find a quiet place in a busy house you can stay at school to work in the library or attend a subject homework club. These are advertised in school and in the ‘Home Learning’ section of our Parents section on the website:

When should I do my homework?

The key is that it is done by the deadline but it would be helpful for you to complete it as soon as possible after it is set.  This will reduce your stress and mean that it is fresher in your mind and you have time to seek help at school if needed.

How long should I spend on my homework?

The time spent on home learning takes into account the age of the students and the demands of the key stages. 

In Key Stage 3, home learning should take a student between 20 and 30 minutes per task.  The teacher may set one longer home learning task over a longer period that adds up to the specified time.  At Key Stage 4, it should take between 30 and 45 minutes for each piece of home learning. 

My homework is to revise for a test, what is the best way of doing this?

We have a comprehensive revision section on our website: this is for all year groups at all times, not just for external examinations.

https://www.glossopdale.school/-Students/Revision/

We have also delivered a variety of tutor time sessions and assemblies on study skills.

Please remind yourself of them below: