preparing for the world - Dulwich College Shanghai

preparing for the worldReportingTeachers will write reports about student progress, attainment and achievement throughout the year, and student/parent/teacher conferences will be organised as part of this reporting process.Precise dates will be published in the school calendar at the beginning of the school year. However, the key reportingperiods throughout the school year will be:Term 1September:October:November:December:Year 10 and Year 12 Student/Parent/Teacher conferencesYear 7 Transition ForumYear 7 Student/Parent/Teacher conferencesYear 11 and Year 13 Grade SheetsYear 10 and Year 12 ReportsYear 7 to Year 9 ReportsYear 11 and Year 13 Student/Parent/Teacher conferencesHomeworkHomework refers to any work or activities that are asked of students outside of normal lesson times. Some tasks mayneed to be done at school if specialist resources are needed.Homework is an essential and important part of the curriculum throughout the Senior School and is usually given on anightly basis to allow students to preview, practice, and review or expand on material introduced in class. Long-termproject work is also assigned for homework, highlighting the need to plan ahead. It has the following purposes:1. To help students develop independent study skills, perseverance and self-discipline2. To actively involve parents and guardians in their child’s learning and keep them informed about the workbeing undertaken at the School3. To consolidate and reinforce work begun in class4. To extend learning and encourage initiative through exploring resources outside of the classroom5. To develop the skills needed to manage long-term projects such as IGCSE coursework and IB Diploma InternalAssessmentTerm 2January:February:March:Term 3April:May:June:Year 11 and Year 13 Mock ExaminationsYear 11 and Year 13 Interim ReportsYear 11 and Year 13 Student/Parent/Teacher conferencesYear 10 and Year 12 Student/Parent/Teacher conferencesYear 7 to Year 9 Student/Parent/Teacher conferences,Year 7 to Year 9 and Year 10 and Year 12 Interim ReportsYear 13 Final ReportYear 11 Final ReportIBDP Examinations/IGCSE Examinations startYear 7 to Year 9 and Year 10 to Year 12 Assessment WeekYear 7 to Year and Year 10 and Year 12 ReportsHomework TimetableAll teachers and students are given a copy of the homework timetable. Form Tutors are responsible for ensuring thattheir students have an up to date record of the relevant section of the of the homework timetable in their Student Diary.A homework schedule is devised at the beginning of the year so that students are not overburdened on a nightly basis.Homework assigned gradually increases from year to year. As students move in the final four years of their schooling(Year 10 – Year 13) they will be expected to take more responsibility for completing homework and planning their timeaccordingly. Nevertheless, the timely completion of tasks will still be closely monitored.The homework schedule for Year 7 to Year 9 is intended to provide a structured framework that will support students intheir development of well-organised work and study habits.The homework schedule for the Year 10 and Year 11 is intended to prevent overload and ensure a fair spread across allthe relevant subjects. However, some teachers may wish to use more than a single homework “slot” for longer-termassignments and so students must be careful not to leave these until the “last minute” and so overload themselves.Students in Year 12 and Year 13 do not follow a published schedule for homework. A minimum recommendation of2 hours is given to students, who as fully developed independent learners, are expected to manage their own timeeffectively and efficiently.Student/Parent/Teacher ConferencesConferences allow parents, students and teachers to formally discuss the progress, effort, attitudes and skills of thestudent.Parents and students meet with teachers to discuss progress and achievement from the first term and agree further goalsfor the later stages of the year.Informal ConferencesParents are encouraged to contact the School by e-mail and schedule meetings when they have any concern regardingtheir child’s progress.Teachers may also initiate parent meetings whenever they see serious problems developing in a student’s attitude, workhabit, or work products. Problems should not be left until the next scheduled parent conference to be resolved.TimingsYear 7 8 hours per week 3 x 30 minutes per dayYear 8 8 hours per week 3 x 30 minutes per dayYear 9 8 hours per week 3 x 30 minutes per dayYear 10 and Year 11 12 hours per week 3 x 35 minutes per dayThese timings shown are advised maximum amounts for each year group. In several subjects the task may be a partof a longer set piece of work such as an assessment. Teachers are also asked to be aware of students whose culturalbackgrounds and parental priorities are not conducive to certain kinds of homework, for example, the setting of a projectover a holiday period, which might require considerable parental support and visits to a public library.Parent ForumsForums are positioned throughout the year to address perennial topics such as “How to Make the Right IGCSE OptionChoices” or “Being a Teen in Shanghai”. Other forums will be set up as needs arise.23 24