Key Stage 3 Homework

At Alde Valley Academy, we strongly believe that homework matters. As Albert Einstein once said, “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” This reflects our belief that great teaching – both in and beyond the classroom – should empower students to truly understand and retain what they learn.

Homework plays a vital role in this process. It encourages independent thinking, builds resilience, and supports long-term memory and learning. Research from the Education Endowment Foundation shows that secondary school students can make up to 5 months of additional progress through effective homework routines. It’s not just “work done at home” – it's meaningful learning that happens between lessons, in the library, during after-school clubs, or at home.

💡 Why Homework?

At Alde Valley Academy, homework is designed to:

Support the learning that happens in the classroom
Build independence and self-discipline
Prepare students for assessments and future academic challenges
Help students “Aspire and Achieve”

Our KS3 homework programme is built around four key revision strategies that rotate weekly and repeat throughout the term. These techniques help students learn how to study, revise, and retain knowledge more effectively:

🧠 KS3 Revision & Homework Strategies

Week	Strategy	What it involves
Week 1	Self-Quizzing	Creating and answering questions using knowledge organisers to check understanding.
Week 2	Dual Coding	Combining visuals (diagrams, mind maps, timelines) with key information.
Week 3	Write to Learn	Writing in their own words to explain, summarise, or compare key concepts.
Week 4	Brain Dump	Recapping everything they know on a topic from memory, then checking and correcting.

These strategies are introduced in Year 7 during tutor time and used in homework tasks throughout KS3. Over time, students discover which methods work best for them, helping them build effective revision habits for future exams.

📚 Homework Booklets

Every term, your child will receive a Homework Booklet with all the key information they’ll need for each subject. These resources are:

Available in printed format
Published on the school website
Used alongside classwork to support learning and revision

🗓️ KS3 Homework Timetables & Expectations

Year 7

Core Subjects: Maths, English, and Science (set weekly, 30 mins each)
Languages & Humanities: French/Spanish and History/Geography (30 mins per subject, alternating weekly)
Creative Projects: Set each half term in Art, Music, Drama, DT, ICT, and RS (3 hours per project)

Year 8

Homework Time: Up to 45 minutes per subject, per week
Creative Projects: 1 per half term, up to 4 hours to complete

Year 9

Homework Time: Up to 1 hour per subject, per week
Creative Projects: 1 per half term, up to 4 hours to complete

Detailed timetables for each year group are included in the Homework Booklets.

🏫 Support and Expectations

If a student fails to complete their homework:

They will receive a W2 detention, held on Tuesday lunchtimes in the Homework Detention Room.
If this is missed, a W3 after-school detention will be issued.

We want all students to succeed, so we offer Homework Support during:

Library sessions at break and lunch
Oasis support centre

If your child is having trouble completing homework, we encourage you to contact their form tutor or their class teacher, homework does not always just have to be completed at home, it is about building up those independent skills needed for student’s to be successful at preparing for their exams.

Thank you for your continued support in helping us build a strong, independent learning culture at Alde Valley Academy. Together, we can help every child develop the skills and habits they need to thrive – now and in the future.