Guidance for Senior School
Homework and Independent Study are viewed as an essential part of the weekly program of work for all students.
At home, time should be set aside for review, and consolidation practice of ideas and skills learnt in the classroom or for research into other areas for projects or assignments. In every subject five minutes should be spent going back over the notes of each lesson. This is a simple aid to memory and learning. Something seen or heard and not brought to mind for twenty-four hours is very likely to be forgotten.
Students in Years 7–10 are provided with a Homework Timetable in the first few weeks of Term 1. The total time spent on homework and independent study will vary according to the level and capacity of the student. A guide to this is as follows:
Years 7, 8 and 9
Between twenty to forty-five minutes per subject, five nights per week. Up to four subjects are set each night and time should be allowed for writing up details in the diary.
Religious Education/Personal Development and Information Technology homework will be set on the day those lessons occur. Where possible, these should be completed the same evening, but they must be ready for the following lesson.
Year 10
Up to four subjects per night with up to sixty minutes for each subject and perhaps five minutes for writing up details in the diary. At least two hours per night, five nights per week.
Year 11
The number of subjects set down on the homework timetable will vary between four and five each night. Students should aim for an even distribution of time. Upwards of sixty minutes per subject will normally be set. At home a total of 12 to 15 hours per week should be spent on private study, completion of assignments and other set work.
Year 12
Year 12 students may expect some homework and learning as necessary from any lesson during a week. Year 12 students are expected to be proactive in their home learning and not limit themselves to homework tasks set by their teachers. Students who are able to develop increasingly independent and reflective learning strategies to enable them to build upon learning completed at school, will be motivated by the success they achieve.
Assignment work needs to be planned over the whole week and fitted into normal subject review and preparation of revision notes from class notes and textbooks. Closer to exam times this can be increased according to the needs or difficulty of each subject. As a guide, a Year 12 student should be completing approximately 18 hours of study per week at home.
Independent Learning
Students can take responsibility for their own learning by:
- Being aware of the school’s homework policy
- Discussing the homework expectations with their families or caregivers
- Accepting responsibility for the completion of homework tasks and keeping to deadlines
- Using SEQTA to access and submit homework tasks
- Following up on feedback made by teachers
- Seeking assistance from class teachers or Heads of House when difficulties arise
- Ensuring that they are efficient time managers, allowing for home obligations, participation in the co-curricular program, recreational and cultural activities and parttime employment
- Organising a homework buddy or friends
- Limiting the number of hours of part- time employment to 10 hours per week or less in the senior years