Homework Guidelines in the Middle School

All MYP assignments are completed during class time. We believe this gives students an opportunity to work on becoming the All-Round Student by allowing them time to experiment and challenge themselves with new activities.

Is there any Homework?

Yes, homework remains but is now based around reading, spelling, mathematics and second language study. We envision students having over an hour of homework each night but a significant chunk of this is to be spent reading.

Year 10 students also undertake the MYP Community Project where they identify a problem, analyse it and then take action to mitigate that problem.

Organising and prioritising homework

All Middle School students are encouraged to use the Student Planners issued at the start of the year to record details of the homework set for each class. Alternatively students should record their homework using the notes or photo function on their 1:1 device. Students should take care to note when a particular piece of homework is due.

Leaving time for cultural pursuits, sport and leisure

A key aim of the College is the development of  “All-Round Character”. The Middle School Homework policy aims to allow students the time to experiment and challenge themselves in the wide range of activities they have available. 

Why do we push reading?

Reading, even in the digital age, is crucial to learning. We want our students to expand their vocabularies (hence the spelling lists that they will be bringing home) so that when new material is introduced to them as they move into the Senior School they will have the language skills to make the most of their ability. We also believe that the ability to enter imaginatively into the world of fiction encourages empathy and understanding that will improve the character of our students as well. We are not saying that they have to read every day but we think they should do it on all the days they eat!

We recommend students become members of their local libraries and making a fortnightly trip to the library part of your family routine will contribute hugely to the success of this new initiative. We’d love the whole family to join in the reading as a way to counteract some of the concerns we have about the amount of time students are spending on screens.

Academic Competitions

We encourage students to become involved in academic competitions like the spelling bee and challenge themselves to follow their own interests in investigating the world around them as they do through the popular Science Badge programme.

How much homework will my child get?

We envision students having over an hour of homework each night but a significant chunk of this is to be spent reading.

Concerns about homework

If you believe your child is getting too much (or too little) homework please contact your child’s House Dean, copying in your child’s subject teacher.