A College under the authority of County Wexford Education Committee. Ratified by Board of Management on 29 th September 2011 Homework Policy Studying at home is an important part of a child s education and it plays a vital role in the education process. The teaching staff of Enniscorthy Vocational College place great emphasis on the setting of purposeful, well planned homework which is designed to assist each child in reaching his / her full potential. Objectives of Homework It is important that we all understand the purposes of homework: - It consolidates the work done in the classroom, aids revision and provides practice for examinations. - It encourages students to develop the skills, confidence and motivation needed to study effectively on their own. - It gives students the opportunity to plan and organise their time and to develop good habits and self-discipline. - It provides opportunities for parental co-operation and support. - It creates channels for home-school dialogue - It enables the subject teachers and class to assess student progress effectively and to raise the achievement levels of all students. - It makes students responsible for their own learning. - It provides parents with information on their child s progress at school. 1
Homework Defined The term Homework should not be narrowly interpreted. It is more than written exercises, learning lists of verbs, making summaries etc. It also involves regular revision work and exam preparation. A wide variety of homework assignments are set by teachers. These include: Investigations Interviews Experiments Essay Writing Learning work Research Visits to Public Library Report writing Vocabulary Spelling Designing Using Computer / Internet Revision Reading Model making Drawing / painting Projects Listening to radio programmes Watching recommended T.V. programmes Etc. Tape work for languages. Guidelines for Teachers Teachers in the school are expected to set regular homework n topics covered in class. Teachers should explain homework assignments clearly and allocate time to allow students to record homework in their journals. Teachers are expected to check homework quickly after each assignment and maintain appropriate records. Homework should not be pitched beyond ability of students and it should be of value to students. Teachers should ensure no single subject should take up a disproportionate amount of time detriment of other subjects. Adequate tome should be given to students to complete major assignments such as an essay etc. Homework during holiday periods, mid-term breaks etc. can be given at a teacher s discretion. Exam classes may benefit from homework at these times. 2
Homework should not interfere unduly with structured revision programmes during the run up to exams. Teachers should avail of every opportunity to encourage parents to become actively involved in their children s homework. Teachers should encourage students to avail of supervised study in the school. Students should be made aware that it is their responsibility to get details of homework, assignments from classmates or their teacher if they are absent from class / school for any reason. The amount of homework given to students should be curtailed or deadlines extended when they are involved in school related activities such as attending a play, debate etc. Time Allocation for Homework The amount of time taken to complete homework will vary from student to student and from year to year. Nonetheless parents / students find it useful to be given broad guidelines as to how much time is reasonable for students to spend on homework. Enniscorthy Vocational College recommends the following: First Year: 2 hours per night Second Year: 2.5 hours per night Third Year / TY: 3 hours per night Fifth Year: 3.5 hours per night Sixth Year: 4 hours per night Students who are sitting State Examinations / house exams will probably require more time as exam time approaches. Homework Sanctions Homework assignments and deadlines are set by subject teachers and must be adhered to. Lack of co-operation by students will be dealt with as follows: Verbal reprimand Standard letter to parents An individual teacher may detain the student during break / lunchtime until the work is completed. Discussion between parents and Year Head by phone, by letter or by visit to school. Use of the school s detention system for persistent failure to do / attempt homework. Suspension Refusal of progression to the following year. Students may be kept back. Guidance to Parents on Homework Parents have a vital role to play in helping their children to achieve their full potential while at school. A positive and supportive home environment in which school and schoolwork are seen to be important provides an excellent starting point. All 3
available evidence suggests that students of parents who show real interest in their children s education have a much better chance of making a success of their time at school. We ask parents to: If at all possible provide a quiet room, away from distractions; a comfortable chair; proper lighting and heating. Insist that your child avails of this room. It is not possible to do homework effectively while watching T.V. or listening to loud music. Sign the Homework journal each week and check that homework is being entered properly. This means that both written and learning work is entered. Watch for notes from teachers. Encourage your child. Give advice and support. Help him/her to learn by listening to him/her reading long passages of poetry/vocabulary/maths formulae etc. Discuss your child s homework with him/her. Ask how he/she is getting on at school and even if the response is brief, as is often the case with teenagers, continue to maintain an interest. Relieve your child from excessive household chores and other distractions such as farm work, childminding etc. Fully Support the school in any sanctions we employ to deal with matters relating to homework. Failure to meet homework requirement is taken seriously by the school as we are aware that the neglect of homework can only result in underachievement. Check presentation, handwriting, spelling and the condition of copybooks. Attend parent-teacher meetings. Make an appointment to meet teachers f there are problems that need to be discussed. Insist that your child draws up a study timetable which should take account of all your child s weekly activities such as study, leisure, T.V. etc. It is not recommended that students engage in part-time work during the school week. Weekend work should not be allowed to interfere unduly with school work. Do not keep your child home from school unless it is absolutely necessary. Medical and other appointments should be arranged for outside of school hours if at all possible. If your child does miss school/class make sure that all missed homework is attended to. Encourage your child to avail of supervised study on school if he/she finds it difficult to study effectively at home. Extra study will be necessary as exam time approaches so Junior and Leaving Certificate students in particular should be encouraged to do extra study during holiday periods, breaks etc. Make sure that groups of students who come together for group study do not use this as an opportunity to chat or play music. Study and homework are very tiring so your child needs adequate rest and sleep. Grinds are expensive but can help a student who is having problems with a particular subject or who is under pressure to obtain a certain grade for 4
college entry requirements etc. Grinds are of little use as fire brigade measures for students who have not worked in school. This also applies to crash courses on offer in some educational establishments. Guidelines for Students...The Teachers in Enniscorthy Vocational College place great emphasis on setting purposeful, well planned homework which is designed to assist each student in reaching his / her full potential....students are expected to complete all homework assignments given to them by their teachers....homework should be done on time, in full and should be properly presented....each student in Enniscorthy Vocational College must record all homework in his/her Homework journal as outlined by subject teachers. Both written and learning work must be recorded in the Journal....Before you leave each class be sure that you understand clearly what your teacher expects you to do for homework. If in doubt ask for clarification....your teacher should inform you of the due time and date for handing up homework....your Homework Journal must be signed by one of your parents/guardians each week and handed to your Class Tutor for checking when requested....if you are absent from class/school for any reason it is your responsibility to find out details of the work that you missed. This applies also to students who miss classes due to sporting or other extracurricular activities....supervised study is available in the school for students who wish to avail of this service....copying homework from another student is counter-productive and is regarded as a serious matter by the school. The same applies to allowing another student to copy your homework.... In the event of homework not being submitted, teachers will require valid letters of explanation from parents/guardians. The homework must be completed....parents will be notified if a student s performance at homework does not meet the school s expectations. 5
Standard Letter 10 To Parents Re: Homework Dear I wish to draw your attention to a problem that has arisen regarding s performance at homework. It should be noted that the problem has occurred on a regular basis and has become a cause of concern to me....written work not attempted...written work poorly attempted...written work not handed up on time...homework has been copied from another student...learning work has not been done...homework Journal not signed...deadline for Project work not adhered to. Please refer again to the Homework Policy document which was issued to each family at the beginning of the school year. This document clearly states the importance which the school attaches to the issue of homework and the vital role it plays in the education process. Your co-operation in this matter is in all out interests so please impress on your son/daughter how essential it is to comply with the school s expectations regarding homework. Signed: Teacher of: Please detach and return to the teacher named above. I have read the above letter regarding s homework and I have discussed the matter with him/her. Signed: Parent / Guardian Date: 6
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