SMT - Mel Eade

Since Covid there has been a huge increase in time spent on our devices and phones, and that hasn’t returned to a pre-covid levels. It has been well documented that there has been a decline in literacy/numeracy, social skills and attention span, and an increase in split focus/attention for all of us, and particularly in our young people. 

Feedback from Y12s, and teachers indicates that students haven’t developedstudy/revision/catching-up habits and therefore find that the out-of-school workload in Y12 is a shock. 

We have also noticed a decline in students catching up on work missed or prioritising completing work they didn’t get done during the day. 

We have also had the preparation for the Literacy and Numeracy Co-requisite standards take up a significant amount of time in Y10 Maths and English classes, and we are struggling to get through the rest of the curriculum as a result. 

What are the expectations?

We expect Y9 and 10 to focus on numeracy and literacy. 30 mins, 4x a week (two hours) spent on homework is reasonable. They can use their workbooks/Smart Lab/Dr Frost or do some writing tasks, and we'd ask parents to monitor this.  Students could also be asked to complete work from other subjects such as learning vocabulary for a language, revising for a test, going over concepts they don’t understand or catching up on work missed due to being away. 

Developing the habit of ‘as soon as you get home from school’ or ‘after we have dinner and before you head to your room’ helps students set up a good routine. We understand that extracurricular activities are really important for wellbeing, so families can help their young person decide when to do their homework, but they should aim for a total of two hours. 

At Y11, the expectation is increased to one hour 4x a week. Subjects wouldn't necessarily set homework, but revision, work completion, studying for a test, working on an assignment, making notes, checking Google Classroom,  going over new material, practising a skill, are all part of a senior student's life. Students should now be increasingly managing this themselves, but will still need support from their adults. 

Y12s and 13s should be managing this themselves. Many report that they are regularly doing 1-2 hours a weeknight on average, depending on workflow flow so you can see that building this habit and discipline gently is necessary for a student to figure out what works best for them. 

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