School Home Partnership: Homework Policy

Value of Homework

Homework is a valuable part of schooling. Daily homework assigned to students is intended as an out-of-class activity to consolidate and reinforce students’ learning in class. It provides opportunities for students to learn to plan and organise their time, and helps them to establish habits of study, concentration and self-discipline, and cultivate lifelong habits of independent and self-directed learning.

It can take the form of practice exercises, preparatory work such as reading or sourcing for information, or extension work such as doing research on a given topic.

Purpose

Homework provides the opportunities for students to

• apply the skills and knowledge they acquire in the class
• consolidate their learning
• receive timely feedback to make improvement
• take greater ownership for their learning

Homework provides the opportunities for teachers to

• check students’ understanding
• review the lessons taught
• provide timely feedback to students

Homework provides parents with

• information on their children's learning progress
• an opportunity to be involved in their children's learning

Role of Parents

Parents play an important part in their children’s education. With proper guidance and supervision at home, parents can help to keep track of their children’s progress and support their learning by:

• taking an active interest in the work given to the child
• encouraging and supporting the child with praises when the child completes his/her work
• providing a conducive environment, preferably a quiet and well lit place, for the child to study and do his/her homework
• setting aside time for the child to complete his/her homework
• monitoring the child’s school diary/online platforms for the amount and type of homework given each day
• working closely with teachers to support the holistic development of the child

Role of Students

To benefit from the value of homework, students need to understand the importance and relevance of homework assigned and work towards:

• completing and handing in quality assignments on time
• seeking help from teachers and parents when encountering difficulties
• reviewing feedback from teachers and take the necessary follow up actions to improve

Guidelines on Daily Homework

The school seeks to ensure students’ well-being by calibrating the homework load of students. Homework includes online work assigned to be completed at home. Teachers will write the homework down on the class whiteboard and/or post the homework assigned either on Google Classroom. Students are to write down the homework assigned to them in their school diary. Teachers will indicate the approximate amount of time that students should generally spend on each homework assignment. It serves as a guide as some students may require less or more time, depending on individual learning needs.

The following table serves as a guide:

Teachers may exercise flexibility in terms of the amount of work assigned and / or the deadlines for submission on days where students are:

• involved in remedial / supplementary lessons / CCA / competitions / events
• absent from school due to valid reasons

In the week leading up to the examination week, no homework or fewer pieces of work will be assigned to allow students more time in their own independent revision and preparation.

To promote family time, no homework assignments will be given over main festive periods (e.g. Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Puasa and Deepavali) during term time.

During the term breaks in March, June and September, homework will be assigned for each subject to allow students to practice and consolidate what has been taught and/or extend their learning.