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Independent Study and Homework

Weston very much believes in the notion of “blended learning”. By this, we mean that any work undertaken independently at home should support work that is done in class by encouraging students to revisit prior learning in order to embed and deepen knowledge.

Predominantly, the main form of independent learning set through the Bromcom system is to spend time using a combination of a student’s work they have done in class, alongside the materials we provide for them on SharePoint, in order to continually revise what has been learned in class. This should be a mixture of recently learned material and aspects that have been taught and learned in the medium- to long-term. Students who put in this level of groundwork and effort are almost always those who are the likeliest to succeed in terms of progress and attainment.

Starting in January 2025, homework tasks will be assigned through the Bromcom student app. We are rebranding homework as “independent study” to emphasize the importance of practising what students are learning in class and aiding effective revision. Parents and carers will be able to view these tasks through the MyChildAtSchool (MCAS) platform, ensuring you can support your child’s learning journey. Year 7 and 11 students will begin receiving tasks in the first two weeks of term, and all other groups will receive tasks from the week commencing 20th January 2025.

Broadly, there are 3 types of independent study task that may be set.

  1. A task that points students in the direction of past learning; this could be a specific task/worksheet etc or, more simply, the sharing of PowerPoints or resources and asking students to be prepared to answer questions in a future lesson
  2. Directing students to a key skills or misconception screencast (self-help video) in a subject curriculum map and either setting a task for it, or again asking students to be prepared to answer questions in a future lesson
  3. Setting a task that prepares students for future learning

 Frequency

Core (English, Maths, Science) Foundation subjects
Key stage 3 Every two weeks Every four weeks
Key stage 4 Every two weeks

 

Rewards for completion

As a school, we believe in praising and rewarding those who demonstrate completion of independent study tasks rather than putting in place consequences for those who don’t. Therefore students can be recognised by teachers through Bromcom points:

  • Excellent independent study (task completion / application of knowledge) = 2 points
  • Independent study completion = 1 point

Independent Study Room

To further support our students, we will be offering two independent study rooms (M9 & M5), available on Mondays and Wednesdays after school until 3:50 PM. These rooms will provide access to computers and a quiet space for students to complete their independent study tasks.

Questions about independent study

Should you have any subject-specific questions about independent learning, then the best person to ask is always the subject teacher. Should questions relate to the school’s approach to independent study (indeed, any aspect of teaching and learning), then please contact Mr Papanicolaou, the senior member of staff who oversees teaching and learning in the school.