Homework

Homework is an important means by which we support students to achieve their best. Below are the details of our approach to homework and information on how to contact staff when students need help with it. 

RPE and Homework

One of the most important features of our curriculum at Clarendon is RPE, which stands for Recover – Practise – Extend. We use RPE to make sure that all students fully understand the most important things in each subject, what we call the unmissable content. This is how it works:

Students have regular RPE lessons in each of their subjects, but RPE is also the focus of the homework tasks that teachers set.

We do this because the unmissable content that RPE focuses on is so important for students to succeed in school. It also reflects a strategy for helping students learn more and remember it for longer that we call spaced learning: This is where students are taught important information not once or twice, but on several occasions throughout their time in school. This is an approach supported by lots of research in education because it helps with long-term retention of information and helps reduce stress for students when they have to revise for tests / exams.

By using RPE to guide our approach to homework, we ensure that our students have every opportunity to grasp the unmissable content they need to thrive.  

How can parents and students check to see what homework has been set?

The details of the homework tasks are available for parents and students to see via Go4Schools. The web address for this is www.go4schools.com, but there is also a free app that you can download from App Stores for use on smartphones. [Please note: First time users will need to log in to the website at least once before being able to use the app.]

If you are new to the school or need help with using Go4Schools for the first time, please click on the link below for a guide on how to get access:

Go4Schools Parent and Student Log-In Guide

If you are still having trouble logging on to Go4Schools, please contact Mr Rhys Jones, Assistant Headteacher: rhj@clarendonacademy.com. 

How and when is homework set?

Many of our subjects use websites to set homework. These websites often allow students to receive instant feedback on their performance, as well as providing teachers with important information on how their classes perform on different topics and tasks.

Other subjects continue to set paper-based homework, or use electronic resources designed by teachers. Copies of these resources are usually made available when a teacher sets homework via Go4Schools.

The table below shows how work is set in each subject, including the names of any relevant websites. It also shows how often homework is set in each subject. Please note that these timings are guidelines only and that there may be some points in the year where homework frequencies may vary (for example, due to teacher absence or events like sports days). 

What happens if a student forgets their username or password?

Students who forget or need help with their log-in details should email homework@clarendonacademy.com. They should also copy in (‘cc’) the teacher who set this homework into the same email.

Please note that students are required to give at least 24 hours notice before requesting help with passwords. Where this is not the case, we will treat the homework as incomplete. This is to give teachers and other staff a fair amount of time to respond to these requests. 

How can parents contact the school if a student has a problem with their homework?

When students have a good reason for not completing homework (e.g. illness or other circumstances outside of their control), we require parents to provide us with a short note explaining why the homework has not been completed. This can be a written note or it can be sent via email. Emails should be sent directly to the teacher who has set the homework. All staff contact details are available in the ‘Contact Us’ section of the school website.