Marian State School homework policy
Regulation 19 of the State Education Act states:
“A teacher may require a pupil to undertake home study which may occupy such an amount of time as a Principal may decide is reasonable in the circumstances.”
The regulation does not direct the school to set home study/homework nor does it state what, if any, that home study/homework should be.
At Marian State School teachers believe it is beneficial for students to complete some homework on a regular basis and will set homework using the following reasonable guidelines. Times indicated are considered the maximum expectation for that Year level on the understanding that students work diligently for the prescribed period of time.
Prep & Year 1: up to 10 minutes
Year 2-3: up to 15 minutes
Year 4-5: up to 20 minutes
Year 6: up to 25 minutes
No homework is to be set on weekends
No homework is to be set for vacation periods
General understandings
Homework is not to be used as a punishment.
All written homework is to be corrected.
Homework is not a teaching tool. It is to be used to consolidate learning done in class.
Homework should be within a child’s capabilities, adjusted accordingly.
Work that is to be used for assessment is not to be set for homework.
Types of homework
Practising ‘Sight Words’, reading a book.
Completion of, or practice related to work done in class (written homework).
Preparing for school the next day (equipment, pads etc.).
Collecting materials for school activities (magazines, cooking materials).
Learning tasks (Spelling, Number Facts).
- Discussing what happens at school with parents.
Homework difficulties
Parents should consult with their child’s teacher when the completion of homework within the set time periods (see above) becomes a concern.
Teachers will contact parents and carers when children regularly or consistently fail to complete homework to ascertain reasons for homework not being completed and/or to gain support to encourage children to complete set homework.
If, after this initial contact children continue to not complete homework, parents/carers will again be contacted and a collaborative decision may be made that homework will not be set for their child.
A written record of the reasons for this collaborative decision will be kept as part of the child’s school records, as not completing set homework tasks may be detrimental to a student’s long term academic achievement.