Home Learning
Home learning is an essential part of your child’s education. As pupils progress through the school, they will be expected to become increasingly independent in their study.
Research by The Sutton Trust shows that home learning in secondary school is much more important, and has much more impact, compared to primary school pupils. The research shows that quality home learning will add around five months’ worth of progress (see the research here).
Through our afternoon Learning Group session, all pupils will be supported with a quiet space to start their home learning. It is recommended that pupils should do between 60 and 90 minutes of home learning every evening.
Teachers will set home learning, which will be entered on Satchel One (formerly known as Show My Homework) and can be checked on the parent portal. In addition to the set home learning, pupils will be expected to read every day for at least 20 minutes. Pupils will also have access to learning materials online, including through Satchel One and Google Classroom, to study independently (they can never tell you they have nothing to do!).
We do not have a set home learning timetable such as ‘Maths on a Monday,’ as these are often too restrictive and don’t fit with schemes of learning. However, teachers are mindful of giving pupils sufficient time to complete any tasks and will try not to overload them with short deadlines.
Core subjects and languages will set two home learning tasks each week. It is likely that one will be a learning activity and one a more detailed piece of work related to the previous learning or upcoming learning.
History, Geography, and Art will set one piece of home learning each week. Practical subjects will sometimes set one piece of homework a week, but won’t do so every week.
Learning activities may be LASACAWAC tasks (Look and Say and Cover and Write and Check) or use other learning resources, such as memory cards or knowledge organisers.
How can you help your child with home learning?
- You can help your child by making a routine.
- Get them to sit down at a regular time each day and at the weekend
- Check their planner and home learning online
- Make sure that your child has a quiet environment to learn
- Make sure that they do the work specific for the day, so they do not create a backlog
- Ensure that each piece of home learning is completed with pride, and in line with the presentation policy
- If necessary, you may help them by explaining work, talking through ideas, or asking questions
- Ensure that they complete their daily reading, and ask them about what they have read
- If you feel your child is receiving too little home learning, please write to or email their Learning Coach
Help from school with home learning
At the end of every day, pupils will spend 30 minutes working on their home learning with their Learning Coach.
We use Satchel One, an online tool to help you keep track of homework set by teachers. Satchel One allows you to see the details of the tasks pupils have been set, all their deadlines and their submission status and grades. We use this system to improve the way we communicate with parents and give you greater visibility into the homework we set.
Login details to your personal account are sent to each parent, which are linked to your child’s homework calendar where you will be able to see their To-do List and any homework that is overdue.
This service will provide parents with a deeper insight into the homework your child receives. More importantly, we hope that it will improve your child’s organisation, time-management and help them to keep on top of their workload.
To keep up to date on the move please download the Satchel One app on your mobile device, or log in here. You’ll need to put Saracens High School where it asks you to enter the school name, then your unique pin which the school will supply every parent with.
If you download the mobile app version, once you have logged in, you will then be sent push notifications to let you know what homework is due. You will also be notified of grades, overdue homework and announcements/events.
If you or your child have any questions about the service, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the team at Satchel One, who are always happy to help. Just visit https://help.satchelone.com/en/ or call 020 7197 9550.
If you need any assistance getting set up, please don’t hesitate to contact us and we’ll do our best to help.