Homework Policy Secondary
Rationale
Homework is a fundamental part of the learning process. It solidifies the content taught in class and teaches students the ability to work independently and manage their time effectively. It is essential to ensure that students are not overloaded so please be mindful of the work which you are setting.
Types of Homework
Homework may include:
- Written assignments
- Preparation for testing
- Research projects
- Reading in preparation for a lesson
- Reading a book or an assigned text
- Practising skills needed for playing sports, musical instruments, or art
- Completing work or assignments through online platforms, such as CENTURY, Teams etc.
Amount of Homework
Grades 5, 6 & 7
Students in Grades 5, 6 & 7 will receive homework as follows:
Grades 5-7 - English, Bulgarian and Science: Homework will not exceed 90 minutes per week, due one week after setting
Mathematics: 20 minutes of homework set to the student after every lesson, which is due for the next lesson
Homework for non-core subjects can be given to a single student or the whole class to support learning which is given at the discretion of each teacher. Such homework must not be assigned more than twice a month.Grades 8, 9 & 10
Students in Grades 8, 9 & 10 will receive homework as follows:
Grades 8-9 - English, Mathematics, Bulgarian, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, MFL and History: Up to 30 minutes per week for each subject, due one week after setting
Grade 10 - English, Mathematics, Bulgarian and Science: A minimum of 30 minutes homework per week for each subject, due one week after setting. Students at this stage are expected to take the initiative and engage in self-directed revision and should actively be encouraged to do so from the start of the year
Grade 11-12 - All students will receive a minimum of 180 minutes of homework per subject, per week. Students are expected to complete self-study in the ratio 1:1 for every hour taught.
NB: Students studying for the Bulgarian examinations are also expected to attend consultations when required.
Discretionary Home Learning
All students may be given additional homework and course materials throughout the academic year. This is at the discretion of the teachers and the Head of Secondary.
Homework must be purposeful with clear expectations set. It should not be set where the students have not covered content previously and that they do not understand.
Parents are kept informed about assigned homework through the school's official platform. Homework is assigned through electronic resources using CENTURY weekly and through iSAMS for work set by the teacher. Work must be set on CENTURY for English, Mathematics and Science weekly with nuggets and/or tasks for completion where students’ assessment is held and monitored by the heads of department and the academic supervisor, and then reported to the head of school. All homework which is set on the school’s official platform must also be uploaded on Teams if the student/s are online or remote learning. Homework on CENTURY can be checked by the teachers and the academic leads.
On the day that teachers receive homework they have until the next homework cycle to give and provide feedback to the children. Homework is checked by the relevant subject teacher and if homework is not submitted then the students will attend P9 consultation where the work will be submitted in this lesson and supervised by a member of the academic team. Work is handed to the P9 Coordinator, and this is passed to the subject teachers and classmaster. Teachers may set additional homework, at their discretion, and may give alternative deadlines for work completion, depending on the amount and the specifics of homework; this is particularly prevalent during key examination cycles where additional work may be given to support examination series. If students are absent from class or miss classroom learning then additional work will be provided for lessons, and this is required to be completed within 1 week.
Parents/guardians are informed when homework is missing or incomplete by notification from the classmaster. The classmaster is informed by the subject teacher as well as the P9 Coordinator supporting with consultations so that there is transparency over what needs to be done, with deadlines. The deadline for homework is set one week after being given. Missed classwork is regarded in the same way and communication is provided to the classmaster, heads of department and academic supervisor for consistency. Persistent incomplete work is escalated to the Head of Secondary, as required (i.e. 2 or 3 weeks overdue and not complete in P9 consultations) and thereafter the Head of School for further action if necessary.
If a student attends P9 consultations, then they may not be allowed to go to their extracurricular activity as academic life sets the foundation for learning and development as well as ensuring pupil progress.
Clear deadlines and expectations from class teachers and leaders must be given with the students fully understanding of the expectations being set.
Material may be provided at any stage for catch-up and to help to support learners in subjects, topics or areas of weakness; this is at the discretion of the academic staff, and this may also be at a higher level for practice and self-study during more focused periods, particularly for older students, at examination phases of the academic year.
Student Expectations
- Students need to try to do their best while working on the assigned homework.
- Students need to record their homework and make a good organisation to do it well and on time.
- Homework should be well-organised and checked by the student prior to being handed in. Furthermore, the student must make sure his/her homework is completed according to the requirements of the given task, meets the set criteria, and has no technical or spelling mistakes.
- Students are expected to present their homework by meeting the set deadlines. Missing a deadline should be an exception. If a student feels that he/she will not be able to meet the deadline, the respective teacher must be notified at least 24 hours prior to the set deadline. At the teacher’s discretion, the deadline could be extended if the student provides sufficient justification for his/her inability to meet the deadline.
The deadline should not be renegotiated if the students do not inform the teacher early enough about their inability to meet it.
Failure to meet the deadline results in a deduction from the grade with a percent, specific for each department and determined in each department’s In-House Assessment Policy.
If students are absent, they need to both establish the work they have missed and to be provided with this for completion. All students and teaching staff must work together. Failure to complete homework is considered a disciplinary offence in line with the school’s behaviour policy.Monitoring
Homework for all students should be recorded clearly by the students - with clear instructions and due date. Parents are strongly encouraged to monitor the assigned homework and support the school in ensuring homework is completed on time.
Parents must be notified if their child regularly does not complete his/her homework by email or written form of communication as well as making this clear to the students in MS Teams.
In order to support the students and to provide them with an extra time to complete any unfinished class work assignments and/or incomplete homework, the school has organised period 9 for the students. Teachers inform the Period 9 coordinator for those students who have failed to complete their assigned classwork or homework assignments on time. Parents are informed via email that the respective student needs to stay for period 9 to complete his/her work. The Head of Secondary will monitor the frequency of the incomplete work by each student attending period 9 and parents will be contacted if necessary.
Electronic resources
St. George International School and Preschool understands that students may wish to carry out additional study outside of school. All students can access the school’s online portals and resources to complete their tasks.
Absences – Secondary School Students
While sick, the student should obtain information about their classwork/homework from their classmates – if possible, but the school’s academic staff must be proactive with provision for such.
After returning to school, the students should collect the classwork/homework directly from their teachers. The missed work is due in as many days as the student was absent. Any work which is unable to be collected must be located and placed on MS Teams which students have access to at any time.
Due to pre-planned absence, students must obtain information regarding their classwork and homework from their subject teachers and advise their classmasters. Missed work is due in as many days as the student was absent.
Online Learning
During the Online Learning process all students must be provided with the same access to resources and course material as if they were in the classroom and on the school’s premises. This is in conjunction with the school’s Online Learning Policy to ensure that adequate provision and academic progress is clear, understood, and achievable – even with the potential barrier of COVID-19.
Homework during online learning should not exceed the set amount and frequency requirements and must be carefully assigned having in mind the challenges of the virtual learning environment and the students` overall workload.
All home learning is placed using MS Teams and CENTURY only. Timelines must be clear, consistent, and considered.
Teachers need to be cautious about setting homework which is not supportive, or which may cause distress to the students’ well-being by overloading them. The teaching staff must support learning goals and targeted outcomes at a pace appropriate to each learner. This is at the discretion of the class teachers and the senior academic lead.
