KEY STAGE 3
HOMEWORK
A parent/carer guide to homework at St. Aidan’s 2026-2027
WHY HOMEWORK MATTERS EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH Research from the Education Endowment Foundation indicates that homework has a positive impact equivalent to an additional five months of learning. This is because in completing their homework students are both reinforcing what they have learned in lessons and developing independent learning skills.
HOMEWORK AT ST. AIDAN’S At St. Aidan’s we set homework to enable students to: Think hard about current and previous learning, through practice, consolidation and retrieval Develop independent learning and organisational skills On occasion, homework is set to extend learning begun in the classroom, providing an opportunity for creativity and exploration, or greater breadth and depth. Homework relates to our WALK value of Aspiration.
ONLINE PLATFORMS At St. Aidan’s we harness the power of online platforms to enhance the learning benefits of homework. The Education Endowment Foundation have found that, where available, digital technologies boost the learning impact of homework to an additional six months of progress. Platforms such as Sparx, Educake and SentenceBuilders: Personalise learning to each individual students’ current level of understanding; Have in-built support, for example step-by-step tutorial videos, that students can utilise if they are stuck; Draw on cognitive science providing spaced repetition, with new learning interspersed with recall of previous topics improving long term memory. It is important to note that learning is different in each academic discipline. As such, whilst online platforms bring significant benefits for some subjects, they are not a panacea and at St. Aidan’s we only utilise them where they enhance students’ learning.
SCREEN-TIME We are conscious of the challenges parents/carers face around managing their child’s screen time. In school we use one-to-one devices sparingly, meaning that students’ online homework sits alongside their interactive, face-to-face in school learning. Wherever possible, we advise that students are best served by completing online homework on a PC or laptop. This both removes undesirable distractions from phone notifications and increases students’ familiarity with a physical keypad.
HOW WE SET HOMEWORK At St. Aidan’s homework is explicitly intended to support students to develop independence through taking responsibility for knowing what homework they need to complete and when it is due. Students are provided with a homework planner, in which they record homework assignments. Teachers and Teaching Assistants support students to get into good routines, by explicitly setting homework using the below format.
BENEFIT 1
BENEFIT 2
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HOW PARENTS/ CARERS CAN SUPPORT Research indicates that students who completed homework without parental help performed 10% better in exam than those whose parents helped them. This is likely because the benefits of homework come from thinking hard, which young people are less likely to do when they are supported by an adult. At St. Aidan’s we are keen that homework does not become a chore for parents/carers who are not expected to be subject experts. We are grateful that the support that parents/carers provide around developing good study routines and reinforcing the benefits of homework. Some strategies that can be effective are: Supporting your child to identify an appropriate quite space to complete their homework (ideally at a desk or table) Taking an interest in what your child is learning at school and what their homework is about Supporting your child to develop good routines around when they complete homework
Encouraging your child to use a PC or laptop (if available) to complete homework Encouraging your child to put their phone away whilst completing homework Contacting school (via your child’s Head of Year) if your child needs additional support with homework
THE POWER OF
READING
Reading has a huge range of benefits, including: developing language and literacy skills, including comprehension, vocabulary and inference self-reflection and exploring your own perspectives through making connections with characters growing empathy and understanding of a variety of perspectives and experiences increasing general knowledge Within school we promote reading through: WALK time class readers, which students enjoy with their form Our vibrant library The use of high quality texts within the curriculum
ENCOURAGING READING AT HOME There are a variety of ways that you can encourage your child to engage in reading at home:
Talking about books Ask your child to tell you about what they are reading, and what they enjoy. Share with them the kinds of books that you enjoyed at their age and what you are reading now.
Encourage them to read in a way that suits them Whilst research indicates that fiction books bring the greatest benefits (likely due to the empathy fostered by reading about the inner lives of fictional characters), all reading is beneficial. Encourage your child to try different media, such as magazines, graphic novels or audio books (which can build a bridge to physical books).
Read together This might be reading a book together or reading your own book alongside them. This models the joy of reading.
Help them to find books they enjoy The Book Trust and the National Literacy Trust both have extensive lists of book recommendations. Mrs Kennerley, our School Librarian, is an invaluable source of advice, guidance and suggestions.
Reading Set weekly (from mid-October) 30 minutes Sparx Reader: students select a book, and read short passages at their own pace. They then complete short multiple choice comprehension questions. Please note students should login using the blue Microsoft login button
English Set weekly 30 minutes A range of activities relating to the current unit of work, including: spelling, reading and retrieval, creative writing, vocabulary and language analysis.
Maths Set weekly: Wednesday to Wednesday 40 minutes Sparx Maths: students are set personalised tasks relating to current and previous learning. Questions are immediately checked, and students have access to videos if they are stuck. Please note students should login using the blue Microsoft login button.
Science Set weekly: Tuesday to Tuesday 30 minutes Sparx Science: interactive questions including multiple-choice, word banks, typed responses and maths based problems based on current and previous learning. Please note students should login using the blue Microsoft login button.
Religious Studies Set three times per half-term 30 minutes - 1 hour A variety of tasks including learning key vocabulary, preparing for assessments and research about worldviews.
Geography Set fortnightly, alternating with History 15 - 30 minutes A variety of tasks including Educake knowledge quiz, activity worksheets and guided revision. Students are provided with an overview of homework at the start of each topic. This is stuck in their exercise book.
History Set fortnightly, alternating with Geography 30 minutes A variety of tasks including Meanwhile-Elsewhere, Educake knowledge quiz or structured revision. Students are provided with an overview of homework at the start of each topic. This is stuck in their exercise book.
Languages: French and Spanish Set weekly 15 minutes Using sentencebuilders.com to practise language skills including translation and vocabulary. This is done through interactive games.
Art Half-Termly 20 minutes Collecting resources and finishing design work to be used in future lessons
Food Fortnightly 15 minutes Sourcing and preparing ingredients for practical lessons
Textiles Half-Termly 20 minutes Research tasks, including collecting materials and imagery to inform design work completed in lesson
Product Design Half-Termly 20 minutes Research tasks, or completion of lesson design work
Computing Half-Termly 20 minutes Learning key vocabulary, research activities or completing tasks to prepare for the next lesson
Music and PE Please note that whilst we do not set specific homework for PE or music, we encourage students to engage in our wide and varied extra curricular provision. Full details of our programme are available on our school website: About Us - Personal Development (The St. Aidan’s Offer) - Extracurricular Clubs, Societies and Teams. Please note that this provision extends beyond Music and Sport; we aim to have something for everyone. If your child has any suggestions for further clubs they should speak with their Head of Year or Assistant Head of Year. If you are interested in your child taking peripatetic music lessons, please contact Mrs Collett on l.collett@staidans.co.uk
CURRICULUM INFORMATION Full details of our school curriculum are available on our school website: Curriculum - Subject Information. This includes details of: key knowledge and skills; literacy and vocabulary; assessment information; and how you can support your child at home.
ST. AIDAN’S CHURCH OF ENGLAND HIGH SCHOOL
If you feel your child requires additional support with homework please speak with their Head of Year
Year 7 Head of Year: Ms Emily Reynard e.reynard@staidans.co.uk
Year 8 (Sept/Oct)
Year 8 (Nov-)
Head of Year: Ms Hannah Strickland
Head of Year: Mr Matt Walsh
h.strickland@staidans.co.uk
m.walsh@staidans.co.uk
Year 9 Head of Year: Mr Phil Alker p.alker@staidans.co.uk