Home Learning

Introduction

Home learning serves an important purpose in supporting young people to make progress. Research by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) has shown that regular, high quality home learning can accelerate a student’s progress by 6 months.

At Temple Moor, home learning serves the following important purposes:

• Allowing consolidation and extension of learning from within the classroom.
• Promoting ongoing retrieval practice, which is linked to developing long term retention of knowledge.
• Fostering good independent study behaviours to support students as they progress to KS4, KS5 and beyond.
• Developing examination technique.
• Allowing an additional source of assessment which staff can use to identify misconceptions, give feedback and inform future lessons.

However, we also recognise that many students participate in extracurricular activities or out of school clubs, which is good for their wellbeing, and we also value this and seek to support students in pursuing broader interests. As such, we have designed a home learning policy which balances the benefits of home learning whilst also allowing students a healthy work-life balance outside of school.

Home learning tasks are carefully considered in terms of the purpose they serve, with home learning being carefully mapped as part of the curriculum planning each subject undertakes. This ensures that home learning is always purposeful, considered and relevant to the learning of students and the progress they make.

Home learning outline:

Year 7 and 8

Purpose of home learning: Secure and consolidate foundational concepts; promote fundamental literacy and numeracy skills and their fluent use; establish a routine of independent study and its importance; allow assessment of understanding by teaching staff to inform future lessons.
A standing expectation of ongoing engagement with reading and TT rockstars:
Monday: 20 mins of independent or supported reading.	Tuesday: 20 mins of independent TT rockstars.	Wednesday: 20 mins of independent or supported reading.	Thursday: 20 mins of independent TT rockstars.	Friday: 20 mins of independent or supported reading.
Additionally, 20 minutes of home learning also set by the following subjects: English – Weekly Maths – Weekly Science – Weekly MFL – Fortnightly History – Fortnightly Geography – Fortnightly. Literacy and Communications – Fortnightly. Other subjects – Less frequent but set when appropriate to support the curriculum.
Estimated weekly home learning – 4 hours.

Year 9

Purpose of home learning: Embed a routine of independent study and its importance as GCSE subjects begin; consolidate and extend learning; promote retrieval practice; completion of coursework assessments in early option subject; allow assessment of understanding by teaching staff to inform future lessons.

A standing expectation that students undertake independent reading three times per week. Additionally, 30 minutes of home learning also set by the following subjects: English – Weekly Maths – Weekly Science – Weekly (each teacher setting fortnightly) MFL – Fortnightly History – Fortnightly Geography – Fortnightly. Art – Fortnightly Performance – Fortnightly Design Technology - Fortnightly. KS4 option A - Fortnightly

Estimated weekly home learning – 5 hours

Year 10-11

Purpose of home learning: Broaden and consolidate subject knowledge; promote knowledge retrieval and retention; develop examination technique and revision skills; extend learning; complete coursework; allow assessment of understanding by teaching staff to inform future lessons.

A standing expectation of independent study and on-going revision e.g. using GCSE Pod – 60 minutes per week. Additionally, 30 – 40 minutes of home learning also set by the following subjects: Maths– Weekly Science – Weekly (each teacher setting fortnightly) English Language – Fortnightly English Literature - Fortnightly KS4 option A – Fortnightly KS4 option B – Fortnightly KS4 option C – Fortnightly KS4 option D - Fortnightly

Estimated weekly home learning – 5 - 6 hours

Year 12-13

Purpose of home learning: Broaden and consolidate subject knowledge; promote knowledge retrieval and retention; develop examination technique and revision skills; extend learning; complete coursework; allow assessment of understanding by teaching staff to inform future lessons.

A standing expectation of independent study and on-going revision within independent study periods. This should equate to two hours per subject, per week. Additionally, 45-60 minutes of home learning set by each teacher in each subject, including EPQ.

Estimated weekly home learning – 6-7 hours

How is home learning communicated to students?

Students will be set home learning tasks within lessons, which they should record in their home learning planners. Additionally, staff will set the task on Arbor, allowing students and parents to see what home learning has been set and access linked resources (where relevant). Standing home learning items, such as reading in Key Stage 3.

Records of completion will also be accessible through the Arbor App.

How can parents/carers support the school in ensuring their child completes home learning?

• Helping establish routines at home by setting aside a period of time in the evening when you child checks their planner and do the home learning.
• Providing a quiet space where home learning can be done, without distractions.
• Checking home learning on Class Charts to see if you child is writing it in their planner, and then questioning about the work to check they understand what they are doing.
• Emphasising the importance of home learning and its value, and promoting resilience toward the work.
• Ensuring that standing expectations such as independent reading are undertaken.
• Asking active questions to take an interest in their home learning. Examples for reading are printed on their school bookmarks.
• Signposting resources which might support your child if they are having difficulty e.g. GCSE Pod.
• Supporting the school if your child is referred to after school study support, by ensuring they attend.

Support and sanctions for non-completion of home learning

Given the value and importance of home learning, we expect students to routinely complete home learning. Where Year 7-11 students do not meet our expectations for the submission of home learning work, we have designed a graduated response which is designed to provide additional support for students before further sanctions become necessary.

When students do not submit home learning by the deadline, students will be sanctioned with a negative comment on Arbor. If a student misses ten home learning pieces within a four-week period across any subject, this will result in an automated e-mail to parents/carers, advising you that they have reached this threshold.

Reaching this threshold will result in students being booked in to four weeks of compulsory after school supported study (once per week), led by Phase leaders within school. These sessions will be used to support them in catching up and completing the missed work.

Supported study sessions run in the library on the following nights, between 14:50 - 15:50:

• Year 7 – Tuesday (instead of them attending enrichment)
• Year 8/9 – Thursday
• Year 10/11 - Wednesday

Should students fail to attend these sessions and accept the support being offered, then this will escalate to after school detentions within our behaviour system, with a detention for each missed study support session. It will also result in the loss of eligibility for the student to attend our rewards trip.

Sixth Form students have a separate graduated response, details of which are available from the sixth form phase leader.