Student Resources
Homework Diaries
All pupils are issued with a homework diary at the start of each school year. They will be given full instructions on how to use this properly to note each day�s homework. Parents can be of great assistance in checking this diary and ensuring that homework is completed. The diary contains a listing of important dates each term, such as those of parents� evenings, important events and, for the senior school, the dates for completion of SQA projects, etc. Homework diaries will be monitored regularly by senior staff in order to reinforce their use and to assist in the general monitoring of the amount of homework given. Parents will be contacted directly by the Principal Teacher of any subject in which their child fails regularly to do homework, or in which the homework produced is of an unsatisfactory quality. In cases of continuing difficulty, contact is likely to be made by the appropriate Year Head.
Homework
Homework is important. It helps to complete, consolidate and extend classwork and to develop the habit of study at home which is, beyond question, vital to the achievement of success. It is therefore the policy of the school to set homework and to expect it to be done.
Obviously the amount of homework expected of a pupil will vary as he or she moves from S1 to the senior school. There will also be variations from time to time during the school year, and indeed times when pupils in the same class will have different types or amounts of homework according to their own individual needs and circumstances. In general, a first year pupil can expect to have from 45 minutes to one hour�s homework each evening. In third year it is likely to be between one and two hours per night, while in the upper school, where there is a greater emphasis on exam work, as much as two or three hours� work per night would be not only appropriate but necessary if the pupil expects to be successful.
The homework set can take a number of different forms. It need not necessarily be written work, but may include the reading of notes or texts, research or fact-finding exercises, or some practical activity. Whatever the amount of formal homework set by teachers, there is also a constant need for pupils to check their knowledge and understanding of each day�s work and, when tests or exams are coming up, to revise coursework.