St. Mary’s Secondary School, Baldoyle,

 

Homework Policy

 

Rationale:

This policy is a statement of the position of the school community with regard to homework in all its aspects e.g. frequency, duration, format.

 

The policy has been developed as part of the whole school plan under the SDPI (School Development Planning Initiative)

 

Aims to promote uniformity and consistency in the approach to homework 

 

 

Scope:                                 

This policy applies to the entire school community (students, parents, teachers) during the course of the school year.  The policy is subject to annual review

 

 

Mission Statement:             

The home work policy gives practical expression to the school’s mission of promoting academic and personal growth

 

Students are encouraged to strive for excellence at the level of each one’s potential in all areas of life and work

 

Roles and Responsibilities 

Teachers, pupils and parents play an equal role in, and carry equal responsibility for 

in implementing policy:       implementing the policy.

 

Definition of Homework:    

Homework is subject based work assigned by a teacher, for completion by a student, alone or with others, outside of school.

 

It may be oral, aural, written, reading, practical research, project centred or revision in nature.

 

Purpose of Homework:      

To reinforce and supplement the work done in class

To complete what was begun in class.

To prepare future work

To develop the skills learnt in class

To give students the opportunity to develop independent working habits

To help organisation and self-discipline skills

To help teachers to keep a continuous assessment of a student’s work

To help students to achieve good grades in their exams

 

Homework Expectations:  

Teachers expect:                   

That students will record all homework in their homework journal which is subject to inspection by the Inspectors of DES.

                                            

That in the situation where a student misses a class, it is the student’s responsibility to obtain the homework details.

                                            

That a student will make an honest effort to the best of her ability to complete in full the homework in a well presented manner and on time.

                                            

In situations where the student has been given a deadline to complete the homework, a special effort should be made to have the homework completed in full and on time.

                                            

That students will have adequate facilities to enable them to do their homework i.e., adequate space, light, heat, ventilation, freedom from noise and other interference such as television, radio, phone and music

                                            

That parents will supervise homework as appropriate and offer support and encouragement when required

 

 That parents will examine the homework journal regularly and sign it weekly

That parents will furnish an explanatory note if homework is incomplete/not done

 

Students expect:                    

That homework in each subject area will not take up an unreasonable amount of time. That adequate allowance is made for time-consuming homework, such as essays etc.

                                            

That homework will be relevant to current or future class work.

                                            

That homework will be fully outlined.

                                            

That homework will be corrected by the teacher if applicable.

                                            

That adequate time will be given in class for the recording of homework.

                                            

Parents expect:                     

To be kept informed of difficulties regarding homework

                                            

 To be given the opportunity to discuss homework problems with relevant teachers

                                            

That teachers would be conscious of learning difficulties when assigning homework

 

Homework Duration:         

This will vary, depending on year group, level of ability, time of year etc., but the following time allocation each evening may be useful as a guide:

                                                      First year: 1½ hours

                                                      Second year: 2 to 2½ hours

                                                      Third year: 2½ to 3 hours

                                                      Fourth year: Variable

                                                      Fifth year: 3 to 4 hours

                                                      Sixth Year: 3 to 4 hours

                                             Higher level students require more time

 

                                            

 If a student has been absent, it is the student’s responsibility (approaching her teacher) to catch up on all missed work as soon as possible.

 

                                            

All homework must be retained and stored in a separate copy or folder.

                                            

This work will be required for inspection by Inspectors from the Department of Education and Science.

 

Parental Involvement:        

As equal partners in their children’s education, parents are expected to take an active interest in their homework. In particular they are expected to

Provide adequate facilities to enable their children to undertake their homework, i.e. space, light, heat, ventilation, freedom from noise and other interference such as television, radio and music etc.

 

Provide adequate supervision as appropriate to the needs of the student.

Examine the homework journal regularly and sign weekly.

Furnish an explanatory note in the event that homework is incomplete/not done.

 

The Homework Journal:    

The journal is an essential item for every student.

                                            

The journal must be replaced immediately if lost.

The journal contains a number of elements,

• Space to record student’s details such as address, telephone number, class group etc. It is important these details are filled in.
• A resume of school rules
• Pages on which to record homework given in each subject every day
• Space at the bottom which teachers may use to communicate with parents
• A space where parents sign weekly to indicate that they have examined the journal.
• Carbon copy absence slips for recording all absences, lates etc.

 

 If the journal is defaced, the student will be required to replace it immediately.

 

The journal is an essential method of communication between teachers and parents.

Parents are strongly encouraged to examine it on a daily basis and to sign it weekly

 

 

Legislation Regarding

The maximum hours a student can work during the school week

Part Time Work:                                                                       Age 14                     Age 15

                                                During School Term                  Not Allowed                 8 Hours

                                                During Holidays                           35 Hours                    35 Hours

                                                During Work Experience              40 Hours                    40 Hours

 

                                             Students under 16 years of age may not work after 8 pm

Students between 16 and 17 may not work after 10 pm if there is school the next day or after 11 pm if there is no school the next day.

 

Sanctions:                           

As homework is an essential part of school life, it is reasonable to expect that all students will make an honest effort to complete it satisfactorily.

 

Situations may arise from time to time which prevent students having their homework done. Naturally, in these cases, no sanctions will apply provided an explanatory note from parents is furnished. All homework missed must be caught up.

 

In the event of failure to attempt work, without a credible excuse, or obvious disinterest in doing same, teachers may impose reasonable sanctions with a view to bringing about an improvement. This may involve a warning in the first instance although the teacher may issue a Docket. A Docket will be issued on the second and on each subsequent occasion. All Dockets must be signed by the Parent/Guardian and returned to the teacher. The Teacher will communicate details on the lack of homework in the student’s journal.

 

If there is persistent non homework, the Teacher will contact the Parent/Guardian.

 

If the student is still not presenting homework on a regular basis, then the Year Head will deal with student through the Code of Behaviour.