Homework is any work or activity that pupils are asked to complete outside lesson time, whether it is based on material covered in class or involves independent learning. Studying and revision are included within this definition.

Two types of homework are distinguished:

Assignments are tasks that are individually assessed by the teacher and must always receive individual marking and feedback.

General homework consists of tasks that are reviewed collectively in class and do not require a grade or individual feedback.

Homework is an important form of communication between teachers and pupils. It helps teachers assess pupils’ understanding, identify areas of difficulty, and decide whether pupils are ready to move on to new material.

The School recommends that pupils review the lessons of the day on a regular basis.

Homework should serve one or more of the following purposes:

• To consolidate and extend learning covered in class.
• To complete work started in class.
• To support revision and study.
• To prepare presentations, group work, projects or displays.
• To encourage additional reading linked to class work.
• To develop specific skills.
• To help pupils develop confidence, self-discipline and independent working habits.
• To help pupils manage their workload evenly throughout the week.
• To allow pupils to self-assess their understanding and raise questions in class.
• To provide teachers with information about pupils’ progress and learning needs.

Homework should always have a clear pedagogical purpose, which should be communicated
to pupils. It must never be assigned as a punishment.

Teachers must take account of pupils’ age, level, skills and individual needs when assigning homework.

Homework should be differentiated and adapted where appropriate. Particular consideration should be given to pupils with additional learning needs, neurodivergent profiles, or physical and mental health difficulties.

Adjustments may concern the amount of homework, the nature of the task, the deadline, or the expected outcome or the way in which larger tasks are broken down into manageable stages.

Homework adaptations should be consistent with any agreed educational support plan or accommodation arrangements. Adaptations should aim to provide equitable access to learning while maintaining appropriate learning objectives whenever possible.

Homework should not be treated as the sole responsibility of pupils or parents. It should be understood as part of the learning process and as a means of communication between pupils and teachers regarding progress and support needs.

Homework completed exclusively at home should not normally be used as formal summative assessment, since pupils may receive different levels of support outside school.

Homework must be checked or reviewed regularly. Assignments must be individually marked and include comments for improvement. General homework should be reviewed collectively and used as an opportunity for discussion, questions and clarification.

Teachers should foster a supportive and non-judgemental classroom environment in which pupils feel comfortable expressing difficulties or asking for clarification. Any negative comments or behaviour directed towards pupils who express difficulties or
misunderstandings are unacceptable and should be addressed promptly. Any clarification question raised by pupils could be beneficial for others.

As reviewing homework requires lesson time, teachers should ensure that the amount of homework assigned remains manageable and can be effectively checked, discussed and clarified during class.

Homework should not normally be assigned during school holidays. The only exception is optional reading, provided that it does not require any follow-up work, written task or assessment.

All assignments and tests must be published in the School Management System (SMS) for S1 to S7 and must also be mentioned in class.

Teachers may also use Office365/Teams to assign and further explain tasks. Alternatively, teachers must clearly inform parents at the beginning of the school year if an additional communication channel will be used consistently. In such cases, the SMS entry must clearly refer to Teams, Office 365, or another agreed communication channel.

Pupils, especially in S1, S2 and S3, should also record homework in their school agendas.

All tests must be recorded in SMS.

Responsibilities of Teachers
Teachers are responsible for:
• Setting homework that is appropriate to pupils’ age, level, skills and needs.
• Differentiating homework where necessary.
• Ensuring that homework has a clear pedagogical objective.
• Reviewing and correcting homework regularly.
• Providing individual marking and feedback for assignments.
• Communicating marking criteria clearly.
• Making clear whether the use of Al is permitted and to what extent.
• Allowing time for pupils to ask questions and seek clarification.
• Promoting a non-punitive approach to homework.
• Avoiding homework when there is no realistic time to review it.
• Taking account of pupils’ overall workload, including tests and other deadlines.
• Considering the situation of pupils who have been absent, including whether they need to complete missed homework and what timeframe is appropriate.
• Providing absent pupils with the necessary resources to complete missed work.

Responsibilities of Pupils
Pupils are responsible for:
• Completing compulsory homework to the best of their ability.
• Checking SMS and Teams regularly.
• Recording homework in their agendas, especially in S1, S2 and S3.
• Respecting homework deadlines.
• Using homework to check their own understanding and prepare for class.
• Asking for clarification when difficulties arise.
• Catching up on missed work after an absence, according to the timeframe agreed with the teacher.
Being absent on the day homework is set does not automatically exempt a pupil from completing it. However, appropriate consideration should be given to the circumstances of the absence.
The use of artificial intelligence in homework must support learning and must never replace pupils’ own work. Pupils must always follow teachers’ instructions regarding the use of AI.

Responsibilities of Parents
Parents are encouraged to:
• Reinforce the importance of homework.
• Provide a suitable study environment.
• Ensure that pupils have the necessary tools to complete homework.
• Support pupils in developing organisation and independence.

The nature, frequency and volume of homework are left to the professional judgement of teachers. However, teachers should take into account the number of periods they teach per week and should assign homework proportionally.

Teachers should also be flexible when setting deadlines, particularly when pupils have several homework tasks or assessments in the same period.

The following maximum time allocations are indicative only. They should not be treated as a strict rule and should be adapted to pupils’ needs, abilities and circumstances.• S1: 45–60 minutes per day.
• S2–S3: 45–90 minutes per day.
• S4–S5: 1–2 hours per day.
• S6–S7: depending on pupils’ individual study programmes.

In S1, S2 and S3, long tests are not permitted.

Only short tests of no more than 30 minutes may be administered. Alternative formative assessment tasks are strongly recommended.

The School will propose a calendar for possible short tests. These short tests are optional and not compulsory (teachers may decide whether to organise these tests).

Teachers must inform pupils of test dates in advance and record them in SMS.

The School will provide a balanced calendar for B-tests, harmonised examinations, ASATs and PreBAC examinations. This calendar will be published on the School’s website.

If one of these assessments cannot take place on the scheduled date, a new date should be arranged by the management in a way that avoids overloading pupils with too many assessments in the following weeks, always respecting the rule for the B-test in S4-S5-S6 of
not more than one test by day and three by week.

For S4-S6, during B-test periods, no other tests may be scheduled and no homework may be assigned. The only exception is optional reading recommendations, provided that they do not require any follow-up work, written task or assessment.

For S4-S6, outside B-test and harmonized exams, teachers can only administer A- tests of no more than 30 minutes. Such tests are optional and not compulsory (teachers may decide whether to organise these tests), and alternative forms of assessment are strongly encouraged.

To ensure an appropriate distribution of assessment tasks, a calendar for possible A-tests will be established. Teachers must inform pupils of any scheduled A-test at least one week in advance and record the date in SMS.

For S7, the School will also provide a calendar for possible A-tests. These tests are optional and not compulsory (teachers may decide whether to organise these tests).
Outside official exams, teachers should agree assessment dates with pupils whenever possible, in order to avoid excessive workload.

Formative assessment / Assessment FOR learning
Assessment used to identify pupils’ strengths and needs in order to guide future teaching and support further learning.

Summative assessment / Assessment OF learning
Assessment used to evaluate and record what pupils have achieved at a specific point in time.

ASAT
Alternative Summative Assessment Tasks.