History Department
History will be using the new homework book for all years 7-13 in line with the new whole school homework policy. Each year group at all Key Stages will have minimum of 12 homeworks per year that will be tied to various topics and skills sets outlined in the National Curriculum at KS3, and to the various aspects of exam board specifications at KS4 and KS5.
All homework/assessment grades will be recorded on an MTR sheet for each pupil which will be printed and stuck in books at the beginning of each year. This will give all stakeholders a clear avenue to track progression and effort throughout the academic year.
Each student will have a separate homework book (blue) and class work book (purple).
KS3:
Students will complete 12 homeworks and a selected number of formal assessment tasks in their homework books over the course of the academic year. All teachers will mark these home works assiduously and rigorously. There will be clear AfL, use of the ‘to improve’ stamp, and specific formative targets given on how to progress. At KS3, all these pieces of work will be graded using NC levels. Students should be fully aware of what level they are working at and their target level for the end of the Year and Key Stage. This should be clearly stated at the front of their book. At the beginning of each year the previous MTR record will be printed out and stuck in the new homework book. Year 7 will keep the same homework book until the end of Year 8 so that progression can be more closely tracked at the beginning of the Key Stage. Year 9 will have a new homework book, as their tasks will be specifically tailored towards GCSE preparation.
KS4 and KS5:
As with KS3, students will complete mimimum12 home works in the academic year, but these will fit the time available with exams. E.G. Y10 will complete 14 home works in Y10 and 10 home works in Y11. Tasks will vary from content recall tests and single exam based questions to part and full mock exam practice.
Students will be made familiar with their target grades at KS4 and their LATs at KS5. These targets will be alluded to within the marking so that students are able to see their level of progress.
All work will be marked using exam board criteria which the students will be familiar with. Work will be graded. At GCSE, this will be A* to U, and at AS and A2 level, this will be A-U. All work will outline how to improve, include the use of the stamp, and will include subject specific targets on how to progress.
Other homework, aside from the 12 common home works, may be set for all groups as appropriate. These will be marked according to exam criteria.
Class work books will be marked as well as the homework books, but these may include more summative comments rather than formative assessment for learning, as the majority of AfL marking will take place in the homework books. The department will mark class books once a term.
Sanctions:
Failure to produce homework will result in a sanction as decided by the subject teacher. Persistent failure to produce homework will result in referral to the Head of Department. Parents may be requested to attend a meeting to discuss the matter.
Rewards policy:
The department will use the positive referral system on SIMS and will have a reward system of sending a letter home for excellent effort and /or attainment. Use of stickers may also be used by teachers as they wish.