Pobalscoil Neasáin

This policy is part of the school’s fundamental aim to foster in students a spirit of responsibility, respect and care and to provide them with the skills for life-long learning.

Why do homework?

Regular homework is a valuable aspect of education and contributes to the development of study skills. It supports the work done in class and promotes learning.

For students homework reinforces the work covered in class. It allows students to recognise areas of difficulty and apply and use knowledge in different situations, and prepares students for exams.

For teachers homework provides a feedback on students’ progress and allows them to identify individual students’ areas of strength and difficulty.

It provides parents/guardians with an opportunity to see the work students are doing. It also allows parental involvement in the students’ learning.

Aim of Homework Policy

• To ensure consistent approaches to the setting and reviewing of homework in Pobalscoil Neasáin.
• To ensure fair distribution of homework for each subject.
• To promote the development by the student of good study habits and effective study skills.
• To help students improve their own learning.
• To enable students to organise their own work.
• To encourage parents/guardians to take an interest in and to share responsibility for their children’s work and progress.

Students are expected to:

• Record all homework in the school journal each day.
• Review material covered in class as part of homework.
• Complete all homework to the best of their ability.
• Present completed homework on time.
• Present a note from parents/guardians where there is a valid reason for not having complete homework.
• Get journal signed weekly by parent.

Parents are expected to:

• Monitor the school journal to ensure that assigned homework is being done.
• Sign journal weekly.
• Provide a note in the journal to the teacher if there is any reason why homework is not completed.
• Inform the class teacher/year head if ongoing difficulties arise regarding homework.

The class teacher will:

• Assign appropriate regular homework, learning or written, to each class.
• Keep records of homework given by them.
• Assess homework assignments regularly and provide feedback (including positive comments) to students and parents.
• Maintain records of attainment.
• Inform parents if students do not present homework.

Responsibilities of School Management

Year Heads will monitor the progress of students and liaise with students, teachers and parents regarding progress.
The Principal and Deputy Principal will provide structures for the implementation and review of the homework policy and will facilitate the ongoing pursuit of best practice.

Homework and study-Guidelines for students

Homework can take a variety of forms including:

• Written assignments
• Creative assignments
• Learning assignments
• Revision work
• Collecting information for projects
• Listening to CDs
• Watching educational documentaries or television programmes

Students absent from class due to extra-curricular activities are expected to establish and complete assignments they have for the next day.
If a student has been out sick, and does not have work completed, a period of time will be given to the student to complete missed assignments.

Guidelines for appropriate amount of time spent on homework:
As students vary in ability levels and in speed of completion of work, it is difficult to indicate precisely the amount of time that should be spent by the individual on the completion of homework on a daily basis. We do offer the following timetable as a general guideline for what might be appropriate at the various levels of schooling.

1st Year: 1 to 2 hours per day on Homework and Revision
2nd Year: 1.5 to 2 hours per day on Homework and Revision
3rd Year: 2 to 3 hours per day on Homework and Revision
4th Year: 1.5 to 2 hours per day on Homework and Revision
5th Year: 1 to 2 hours per day on Homework and Revision
6th Year: 3+ hours per day on Homework and Revision Weekend study/revision is also essential.

Study Skills:
In order to assist students organise homework tasks and differentiate between study and written homework requirements, a module on “Study Skills” will be delivered to 1st/2nd year students as part of the S.P.H.E. programme.
In 3rd and 6th Year students will be given the opportunity to take part in a study skills seminar.
The school provides an after school homework club for junior students.
An after-school supervised study programme is available to a limited number of students.

Evaluation of the policy:
The policy will be subject to review during 2011/2012 by the policy working group and school management.

The policy will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

• Feedback from teachers, students and parents regarding the effectiveness of the policy in achieving the stated aims.
• Improved recording and monitoring of homework as evidenced in the student journals.
• Increased student responsibility for homework completion.
• Increased involvement of parents with regard to homework.

Policy adopted by Board of Management 8 December 2009