The College recognises that parents are the children’s first and most significant teachers and role models. The influences within each child’s family environment will play the most significant part in the development of the child’s values as they mature into a young adult.
Our students are involved in many activities outside school which contribute significantly to their learning and enhance the quality of their family life. Decisions about family life and family time are best made by parents. As professional educators, we honour the concept of family time and the parenting which shapes the values of our students.
Homework provides students with opportunities to consolidate their classroom learning, to practise and establish behaviour for lifelong learning beyond the classroom, and to involve family members in their learning. The setting of homework takes into account the need for students to have a balanced lifestyle. This includes sufficient time for family, recreation, cultural pursuits and even employment for older children where appropriate.
A well-balanced, happy child is a motivated learner. Placing the developmental needs of students foremost, we aim to strengthen the home/school partnership through our Homework Policy, focusing on both the pastoral and academic needs of the individual student.
Our developmental approach at Overnewton encourages students to take greater responsibility for their own learning as they mature, and establish a clear sense of who they are as individual learners. Throughout their education, students develop skills as learners which empower them to explore pathways that take them well beyond the compulsory years of schooling. To become independent and self motivated learners, students ultimately need to develop the critical skills to make good decisions about goal setting, how to manage and spend their time, and how to reflect on the effectiveness of their decisions and choices. In the first instance, students need to have opportunities to exercise choices with respect to homework and to make some decisions about their learning. Such choices are about which tasks to complete first and when to work on them so that other important parts of their life beyond school and within the family are also given priority. Students can begin to develop these skills and practise making good decisions from a young age. At all stages in their learning, our students need the guidance of their parents and teachers working in partnership to reflect on the effectiveness of their choices, decisions and learning.
As students mature, learning activities focus increasingly on developing their independence and creativity as thinkers and problem solvers. Our thinking about homework is shaped by the goal of helping our students to achieve independence as learners.
View the full Homework Policy Brochure online
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