Garratt Park School

• Growth • Progress • Success
  • We are improving our communications by using Auto Text. Please download the ParentComms app so we can contact you for free!

 

Homework

Our Approach to Homework at Garratt Park School

At Garratt Park School, we take a thoughtful and evidence-based approach to homework that reflects the needs of our learners, the priorities of their EHCPs, and the way our curriculum is structured.

For the vast majority of students, we do not set homework.

Why We Do Not Set Homework

1. Supporting the Needs of Students with SEND

Many of our students experience high levels of tiredness and emotional fatigue after a full school day. This is because they often:

  • work significantly harder than neurotypical peers to concentrate, communicate and regulate

  • mask anxieties or difficulties during the day, which is exhausting

  • struggle with transitions, organisation or sensory overload after school

For these reasons, homework can cause unnecessary pressure at home and negatively affect wellbeing.

2. Prioritising EHCP Outcomes

Our curriculum is designed so that students make their best progress in school, with:

  • direct adult support

  • specialist strategies

  • therapeutic interventions

  • communication and independence-building opportunities

  • preparation for adulthood woven into the day

These areas cannot be replicated through worksheets or homework tasks.

3. Supporting Emotional Wellbeing and Family Life

Evenings are an essential time for:

  • rest and regulation

  • time with family

  • after-school activities or community involvement

  • hobbies that support confidence and independence

We aim to protect this balance so that students arrive at school the next day ready to learn.

4. Being Honest About What Homework Can—and Cannot—Do

Many families are eager to support learning at home, and we fully understand and respect this.

However, research and our experience show that:

  • extra worksheets at home do not lead to significant academic change for students with MLD

  • homework does not “fix” or accelerate the learning needs associated with moderate learning difficulties

  • the most important progress comes from high-quality teaching, therapies and personalised support during the school day

We want to avoid putting pressure on families or creating expectations that homework will lead to rapid improvements. It won’t—and it can cause stress and conflict at home.

5. Home Learning

  • We provide books  - reading is low-stress, enjoyable and supports vocabulary, confidence and independence.

  • We provide links to educational websites or learning games  - these are designed to be enjoyable and accessible, with no requirement for completion and no formal feedback.

  • We provide access to Google Classrooms so that students can go over their learning in class to consolidate  this

When Homework Is Set: Year 11 and Sixth Form Only

The only exception to our no-homework policy is for students who are:

  • in the final terms of Year 11, if they are taking GCSEs

  • in Sixth Form, where many of our students take their GCSEs