Homework Guide

Parents and caregivers 

Parents and caregivers can help their children by: 

• encouraging them to take increasing responsibility for their learning and organisation 
• observing and acknowledging their success and asking how their home and class work is progressing 
• attending school events, displays or productions in which their children are involved 
• encouraging them to set aside a regular daily session to read and complete homework 
• setting an example by reading themselves 
• contacting the relevant teacher to discuss any problems their children are having with homework 
• helping them to complete homework by discussing key questions or directing them to resources. Usually it is better to encourage children to complete homework themselves 
• helping them to balance the amount of time spent completing homework, watching television, playing computer games and engaging in other leisure or recreational activities 
• checking whether homework for upper primary and secondary students has been set and ensuring they keep a homework diary 
• reading texts set by teachers. Discussing their child’s response to the texts and asking to see work they complete in relation to these texts 
• discussing homework in their first language, where English is not the main language spoken at home, and linking it to their previous experiences. 

Teachers

Teachers can help their students by: 

• setting regular homework to help students establish a home study routine 
• setting varied, challenging and meaningful tasks related to class work that are appropriate to the students' learning needs 
• giving students enough time to complete homework, taking into account home obligations and extracurricular activities 
• assessing homework and providing timely and practical feedback and support 
• making effective use of Student Learning Planner for upper primary and secondary students 
• coordinating the allocation of homework by different teachers in secondary schools 
• helping students develop the organisational and time-management skills needed for them to be responsible for their own learning 
• ensuring that students have good information skills 
• ensuring that parents and caregivers are aware of the school’s homework policy 
• developing strategies to support parents to become active partners in homework.

Years 5 to 9

Years 5 to 9 homework should include daily independent reading. It should be coordinated across teachers in secondary schools to avoid unreasonable workloads for students, and include extension of class work, projects and assignments, essays and research. This will generally range from 30 – 45 minutes a day at Year 5 to 45 – 90 minutes a day in Year 9. 

Years 10-12 

Years 10-12 homework will generally increase, and require from 1–3 hours per week night, with up to 6 hours on weekends during peak VCE periods. At this level students generally should be independent learners, but parents should be clear about the school’s expectations for homestudy, and should discuss issues and concerns with their children and the school. Care should be taken to ensure that undue pressure is not placed on students at this level and that a balance is maintained between the demands of study and recreational pursuits. This can generally be achieved through good organisation and planning, and builds on the effective study habits developed in primary school. 

Homework 

Homework habits helps students by complementing and reinforcing classroom learning, fostering good lifelong learning and study habits, and providing an opportunity for students to be responsible for their own learning. The College operates a Homework Club for three afternoons a week to support students to complete their Learning Assessments.  

Principles 

• Homework is another opportunity for parents to participate in their child’s education. Parents, in partnership with the school, should encourage their children to establish good homework patterns from early primary school. 
• Parents should be advised of homework expectations at the beginning of the school year and be provided with a copy of the school’s homework policy. 
• Students benefit from completing homework regularly. Homework helps them develop organisational and time-management skills, self discipline, skills in using out-of-school resources, and personal responsibility for learning. 
• Upper primary and secondary school students should use homework diaries. Student Learning Planners provide a means of regular communication between parents and the school. 
• Failure by students to complete homework on a regular basis should be followed up with parents. 

Types of homework 

Homework should be: 

• appropriate to the student's skill level and age 
• interesting, challenging, and where appropriate, open ended 
• balanced with a range of recreational, family and cultural activities 
• purposeful, meaningful and relevant to the curriculum 
• assessed by teachers with feedback and support provided. 

Practice exercises 

Providing students with the opportunities to apply new knowledge, or to review, revise and reinforce newly acquired skills,such as: 

• completing consolidation exercises for Mathematics 
• practising spelling words 
• practising words or phrases learnt in a Language Other Than English 
• reading for pleasure 
• writing essays and other creative tasks 
• practising and playing musical instruments 
• practising physical education skills. 

Preparatory homework 

Providing opportunities for students to gain background information so they are better prepared for future lessons, 
such as: 

• reading background material for History 
• reading English texts for class discussion 
• researching topics for class work 
• collecting newspaper articles 
• revising information about a current topic.