Homework 2013-2014 (pdf) - Bishop Fox's School

18 th July 2013
Dear Parents/Guardians
Homework 2013-14
At Bishop Fox’s we believe that homework plays an important part in developing a
child’s ability to work independently, to take increasing responsibility for the quality of
their own work and to complete tasks successfully according to set deadlines.
Homework is set primarily in order to consolidate and extend learning.
Reading - We recognise the fact that students who regularly read for pleasure show
greater success in the quality of their school work, and that there is a correlation
between students who report that they regularly read at home for pleasure and
interest and those who perform well in tests and exams.
The school sets out an expectation that all students should be in the habit of reading
a variety of books and other reading materials eg magazines, webpages,
newspapers, comics etc. Such reading is down to individual students and is intended
for both pleasure and information.
Monitoring – Tutors will check the use of Student Planners to monitor their use for
the recording of homework set, for records of Merits, assessment grades and for any
individual messages between home and school. We ask all parents to regularly
check their child’s planner to see that it is being used appropriately.
Time will also be set aside in Tutor Groups for reading to be actively encouraged and
monitored. We ask all parents and carers to support regular reading at home in the
evening, at weekends and during school holidays.
KS3 ‘Project homeworks’ - At times subjects may take a project approach to
homework over an extended period of time. We recognise that any extended
projects, while they do have benefits, can also be a source of anxiety due to the
additional organisational issues facing students.
Project deadlines will be clearly communicated to students and there will also be
clear indicators about what should be completed each week in order to help students
manage their work effectively.
KS4 Homework and Qualifications – All KS4 Qualification courses will set regular
homework requiring up to one hour a week per course across the year.
The workload is likely to be uneven according to the stage of the course students are
at and the proximity to ‘controlled assessment’ tasks and exams which are essential
assessed components for the qualifications.
We will do our best to try and balance demands and also to communicate with
students and parents very clearly about important deadlines.

All students and parents will receive a KS4 Qualifications Booklet including a
calendar of key dates for each qualification being offered by the school. This is sent
home in September/October of the Autumn Term.
Year 7 and Year 8
1. Regular Subject-Based Homeworks
The following subjects will set regular homeworks requiring up to 30 minutes per
week:-
English – weekly literacy homework: reading homework, plus vocabulary and
spelling
Languages – vocabulary and ‘topic of class study’
Mathematics
Science
History*
Geography*
PRE* (Philosophy, Religion and Ethics)
(*In Year 7 there will be a weekly Humanities homework)
The following will set work of approximately 30 minutes per two week timetable
cycle:-
DT Construction and DT Food/Textiles
Other subjects which set occasional tasks: ICT, Music, Art, Dance, Drama, PE.
Time per week on average for regular subject homework - In all we anticipate
that in Year 7 students will have 3 hours of regular homework each week plus daily
reading time at home.
In Year 8 a student can expect to have an average of 4 hours of regular homework a
week, plus individual reading time every day.
2. ‘Learning Skills’ Project Homeworks
In addition to regular subject homework there will be two ‘learning skills’ project
homeworks managed by the English department. One project will be in the Autumn
Term and one in the Summer Term.
The aim of these is to encourage students to apply various skills towards a project
outcome. Managing time effectively is a key requirement which some students will
require help with.
These projects will last 8 weeks including a half-term ‘holiday’ week. They will be
monitored and marked by English staff, who will guide students on how to manage
their time.
The expectation is that students will spend about 5 to 6 hours overall on their project.
On average students should spend a total of about up to 45 minutes a week on this
homework.

Total Homework Time Expectation
for those weeks with both subject homework and ‘Learning Skills Project’ homework
Year 7 = 3 hrs 45 mins a week, plus individual reading time.
Year 8 = 4 hrs 45 mins a week, plus individual reading time.
Year 9 Homework:
Year 9 represents a transition to GCSE with core subjects introducing GCSE
requirements and beginning work towards GCSE qualifications.
In Year 9 the expectation is that subjects will set regular homework which begins to
feel more like KS4 homework with the requirement that key tasks will be required to
help prepare for assessments or to complete key projects. The expectation is for
approximately 40 minutes per homework.
Subjects studied in Y9 giving regular weekly homework:-
English
Maths
Science
Languages
History
Geography
The following will set an average requirement of 40 minutes a fortnight:-
Business Studies (AQA ‘Enterprise and Employability’ syllabus)
DT Construction
DT Food/Textiles
PRE
Total Homework Time for Y9 = approximately 5 hours 20 minutes a week,
plus individual reading time
Other ‘irregular’ homework
ICT work will be ‘portfolio-based.’ There will be a weekly homework session after
school in the ICT classrooms for students who require this time to complete
classwork.
Art will require some homework towards final art project assessments.
PE, Music, Dance and Drama will set occasional work as appropriate.
Y10 and Y11 Homework

All KS4 Qualification Courses will set regular homework of up to 1 hour a week per
course across the year.
(The weekly demand will vary according to what stage of assessment and exam
students are at with each particular subject).
Core Subjects – English, Maths, Science and RE (for those taking GCSE).
Options – The majority of students take four option qualifications.
Total for set KS4 Homework a week (if all subjects set a full hour of homework)
= 8 hours
plus individual reading time
Yours sincerely
MR R WETHERIDGE
DEPUTY HEADTEACHER